The namesake of legendary keyboardist Merl Saunders, he grew up at the heart of the vital Bay Area music scene with other well known “music families” like the Grateful Dead and Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Gospel
Hawkins family. Performing with the San Francisco Youth Symphony in his
teens was just the start of his lifetime career in the industry. From
his first tour with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band to subsequent gigs
with Michael Jackson, Robert Cray, David Crosby and Frank Zappa.

With the assistance of local musicians, he founded Glide Memorial’s “Music for the People” program, which teaches and encourages at-risk youth to explore music as an outlet, utilizing the Bay Area’s talent pool as instructors. He also
sits on the board of directors for Music In Schools Today (MUST), Bread
and Roses, Blue Bear School of Music and the Taylor Family Foundation,
which supports Northern California’s children with AIDS and other
life-threatening diseases.