Building ‘Bridges’

Chip Mergott will perform at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Lawrence Dec. 9, in a concert to benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.

By:Susan Van Dongen
   Singer-songwriter Chip Mergott wrote a piece called "Da Vinci Code Blues," but he could have just as easily penned "The Music Biz Blues."
   The New Hope, Pa., resident was riding the wave of popularity singer-songwriters enjoyed in the ’70s, working with David Spinozza, who was James Taylor’s producer at the time. Then, in 1979, Mr. Mergott recorded Bridges for London Records’ pop division and events converged to strike a sour note in his musical career.
   The cast of musicians on the jazz-inflected record included the late keyboardist Richard Tee, stellar drummer Rick Marotta, Steely Dan sideman and guitarist Elliott Randall, and saxophonist Michael Brecker who, along with countless other tracks, played the soulful solo on Paul Simon’s "Still Crazy After All These Years." Not too many people got to hear Bridges, but for those who did, the project was rumored to be one of the finest in its genre.
   "The ’70s was a golden era for singer-songwriters and it was a great education for me," Mr. Mergott says. "Things were starting to change though, and bands were becoming bigger than solo artists.
   "London folded their New York Pop music division — fired all these people — and I was told, ‘Your record will be in the discount bins by Christmas time,’" he continues. "So I refused to let them release it, which led to seven years of legal wrangling to get the rights back. My friends told me to just start over, to make another album. But I had these great musicians — the cream of the crop. How can you repeat that?"
   He stuck with it, though, and now owns the rights to Bridges, which Mr. Mergott re-mastered and hopes to release on CD through his homegrown Notebook Records. It will be alongside Silent Night, a Christmas CD of acoustic solo guitar and the reflective In a Quiet Moment, a collection of contemporary Christian material.
   Mr. Mergott will draw from his instrumental works when he performs at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Lawrence Dec. 9, in a concert to benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.
   The admission fee is interesting. Concert-goers can either make a free-will donation or else contribute clothing and toiletries for the men and women served by TASK. The organization is especially looking for adult-sized watch caps, gloves, scarves, thermal underwear, hooded sweatshirts and rain ponchos. Soap, bath towels, wash cloths and disposable razors also are on the wish list.
   Mr. Mergott says he was invited to perform at Holy Trinity by a congregation member who also is a fan.
   "Marie Hamerstone is a member of the church and a regular listener to WDVR," Mr. Mergott says. "She’s heard me on the air over the years — especially on ‘Bleecker Street Café’ — and asked me a long time ago to do the concert. I was so happy to hear that it’s a benefit for TASK since I’m very aware of the issues facing the homeless in our state."
   He remarks that, unfortunately, area charities are feeling an economic pinch this year. People have already given generously to national fund drives to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina, as well as international disasters like the earthquake in Kashmir and last winter’s tsunami, so now there’s a bit of "compassion fatigue."
   Mr. Mergott hopes to help out in his own way, with an evening of holiday favorites and spiritually oriented music, all on acoustic guitar.
   When he’s not playing or teaching guitar, Mr. Mergott is working on material for future recordings, music with an especially intimate feel. He also produces projects for his wife, singer-songwriter Annie Bauerlein.
   Mr. Mergott says Ms. Bauerlein’s parents were anti-war firebrands during the Vietnam era, as well as advocates for the homeless and impoverished, which carries over into their own concerns.
   "Annie and I are much more apolitical, though," he says. "Her stories are about her family and mine are about my personal spiritual journey, particularly related to recovery."
   A performing songwriter for most of his adult life, in the mid- ’70s Mr. Mergott was a member of a Central Jersey-based soft rock group that recorded for RCA records. He was signed to London Records as a solo artist in 1978, and also was brought onboard the label’s publishing branch as a songwriter. Things were looking up — he was even a prodigy of Bonnie Raitt’s — until the fiasco with album rights in 1980.
   These days, he and Ms. Bauerlein can sometimes be heard on WXPN’s "Sleepy Hollow," "Kid’s Corner" as well as Gene Shay’s venerable folk music show. In addition, Mr. Mergott is a regular on Bleecker Street Café on WDVR 89.7/91.9 FM. For a number of years, he also had his own show on the station, Rhythm and News. The husband-and-wife musicians perform in a variety of folk venues throughout the Northeast.
   Mr. Mergott says he was wounded by his music business horror story, but not defeated.
   "It would be the 25th anniversary of that record’s release," he says. "They say every artist has a skeleton (recording) in their closet but I feel the opposite. I’m very proud of this work. That’s why I hung in there and got it back. I’m hoping to re-release it on Notebook next year sometime. It would be a great blessing to get it out there."
Chip Mergott will perform at Holy Trinity Church, 2730 Princeton Pike, Lawrence, Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m. Money raised will benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. Admission: free-will offering or clothing and toiletries donations. For information, call (609) 882-7891 or e-mail [email protected]. Mr. Mergott’s CDs are available at the concert or through www.cdbaby.com. Mr. Mergott on the Web: www.notebookrecords.com