Gary started singing in the millenium after many years of doubt as to his ability and has gone from strength to strength capturing the attention of many people from Glasgow to Shetland and the Western Isles to Edinburgh.
The Early Years
He knew from an early age he wanted to be up there on the stage entertaining the masses. His love of music stems from his early childhood when he found the cassette "Barbara Dickson All for a Song". This cassette was played over and over and over again which led Gary to be, and he still remains, a dedicated fan of Barbara Dickson's music. Gary also had the pleasure of growing up listening to family favourites like Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard, Daniel O'Donnell and Lionel Ritchie all of which he has vivid and fond memories of. Gary's taste's changed and expanded as he grew older giving him a very eclectic taste. Nowadays he can be caught listening to anything from Barbara Dickson to Led Zeppelin. Gary's favourite pastime apart from listening to music was going to concerts. Gary has seen some amazing acts and says "I feel that from every concert I have been to that I have learnt things that have stayed with me, I treated it as study for the job that I one day hope to do full time". As he delved into his memory he realised that it was about time there was a record of it somewhere (as the list was getting rather long and patchy) "I have to write this all down someday so I can see all the great artists I have seen at a glance." he says.
Throughout his early years Gary was picked to sing, at the school or sunday school services, whether it was in groups or solo. He remembers his first solo performance (although unsure of his exact age) "I was asked to sing 'When a Child is Born' solo in the Church at the Sunday School Christmas service. I agreed straight away then managed to back track enough and get my friends to sing some parts of the song with me" he laughs "I dug out a Johnny Mathis Album and listened to that song over and over again to get it right and I remember my first lesson in performing came whilst learning that song. I was at my Auntie and Uncles house, they wanted to hear me sing it and I sang the song very nervously and was told to fix my gaze on a specific point in the room, well in that room as I sang that song I stared and stared at the wally dug that sat on top of the unit. My first full performance!" he laughs.
From that day and performing in front of just four people Gary has gone on to perform in many different guises and to varying types of audience from well over 1000 people in the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow and Supporting Wishbone Ash in Perth to an intimate recording session in Redbarn Studio to an audience of ten. Gary says "the number of people in an audience varies from gig to gig. I get nervous no matter where I play which gives me the edge I need to perform well and I do my best to give 100% each time whether I am performing to 1 or 1000 it makes no difference!
When Gary started singing (in 2000) he went out on his own with a PA System and sang to backing tracks. This gave him the experience he needed to move up the ladder and gain the confidence he needed to push himself harder and move in the right direction. His first full show took place at Rait Village Hall on the 6th October 2000 sharing the bill with his good friend singer/songwriter Anne Pack. After singing on his own for a few years, playing in local hotels and at local functions, he got a call from Gillian Duncan asking if he would consider being the lead singer in a blues band. Gary never got a chance to answer, he was told he WAS doing it! Gary cannot thank Gillian and Anne Pack enough for all the guidance they have given him through the years. He still goes to them with questions and for guidance. Gary says "I wouldn't be doing what I am today if Gillian or Anne had not encouraged and believed in me. I cannot thank them enough!"
The Bands
Gary did join the band and Blues on Tap in 2004 and it grew from there. "Our first gig if I remember rightly was in August 2005 in Auchiltibuie (I get about a bit!). Gary stayed with Blues on Tap for 3 years in which time personnel came and went. "My three years with Blues on Tap were invaluable, I learnt so much about performing, and working with musicians. I had a great time and got the chance to Support legendary band Wishbone Ash and play the Blues festivals in Shetland, Orkney, Dundee and Arbroath, experiences I will never ever forget!"
Whilst working with Blues on Tap Gary was approached by Amir Omicevic who after hearing Gary recording with the band asked him to record some tracks for him. Gary agreed and enjoyed the challenge that recording original material brought and Amir pushed Gary to get the best sound he could. Working with Amir then evolved into the band Native Alien. Native Alien did a few gigs with Gary at the helm including a great evening at the Doghouse in Dundee.
During his time with Blues on Tap and Native Alien Gary occasionally worked alongside Iain Paterson as one half of the duo Hush. This was Gary's introduction to the social club circuit which he also learned a great deal from. Gary can still occasionally be seen singing with Iain when his schedule allows.
Gary left Blues on Tap in February 2007 and along with ex-Blues on Tap Keyboard player Dave Morrison they formed Headway. Gary's schedule was becoming more and more difficult to maintain so in December 2007 he left Native Alien and concentrated on Headway.
Making Headway
During 2007 from February onwards Gary, Dave Morrison and Gillie Hume all worked hard to get Headway up and running. It was a more unusual setup as it had two singers (Gillie and Gary) and only one musician (Dave). Headway enjoyed a few gigs together including a very successful charity event in June of 2007. Things changed and Gary and Dave carried on as a duo and continued working hard at getting established. This took a minor blow in December when it was discovered that Headway was the name of another band and they were becoming more and more successful. This led (after a long laborious process - thankfully they started at the back of the Dictionary) to them changing their name to, how you know them today, VORTEX.
Vortex
Vortex have taken the cabaret circuit by storm since 2008 playing all over Scotland and proving very popular. Things are looking good for the duo. They released their first album of cover songs "Break Free" in January 2008 which is for that time did well. Gary says "The album at that time was great but I tired of it very quickly. As you perform the songs over the years they take on a new feeling and the recording then becomes very bland. But that said it was a reflection of how good (or bad) we were at that time and I hope we get better and better!" There is a new CD "VORTEX II" on its way in 2011! Dave and Gary have been busy in the studio and look forward to the release later this year. You can find out all the latest on Vortex at http://www.vortexlive.co.uk/
Sounds 4
As already mentioned Gary was part of the band Blues on Tap. After he left he kept in touch with the Bass Player, Gordon "Gog" Cumming and went on to work with him in "The Hot Tamales" whenever Gary's schedule allowed. In early 2010 Gog asked Gary to take part in a reunion gig of his Sixties band "Sounds 4" with original drummer Trevor "Chazi" Williamson. There was never any doubt that the answer would be Yes! So along with Hamish Dick and Andy Sinclair on Guitars the 5 peice were set and had a very successful gig at the Station Hotel in Carnoustie in October 2010. This gathering of musicians has also led Gary to realise a musical dream of recording a solo album with help from his wonderful friends and musicians Gog, Chazi and Kenny "Kesh" Whyte. The album will feature a whole range of material and musicians. The album has started being recorded in Redbarn Studios and as some clips of rough mixes become available we will get them on this site for you to have a listen. Gary has recorded many demo's in the studio as himself, Blues on tap, Native Alien, Headway and Vortex but the only one's to see general release are the Vortex Album and Demo. We hope to uncover some of the rarer tracks and get them on this site for you to hear. Gary says "The new album is a dream come true for me, With a great bunch of musicians to help me make it reality. I cannot wait to present it to you!" Check out the New Album page here.
2000 - Present. as Gary Merralls
2004 - 2007 Lead Vocalist in Blues On Tap
2006 -2007 Lead Vocalist in Native Alien
2006 - Present. Ocassional Vocalist in Hush
2007 Vocalist in Headway
2007 - Present. Lead Vocalist in Vortex
2010 - Present. Vocalist in Sounds 4
