Chucho Merchán

Chucho Merchán
Background information
Birth name Jesús Alfredo Merchán
Born (1952-12-24) 24 December 1952
Origin Bogotá,  Colombia
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Bassist
  • Guitarist
  • Singer
  • Composer
  • Songwriter
  • Producer
  • Animal Rights Activist
Instruments
  • Bass
  • Electric guitar
  • Vocals
Years active 1971–present
Labels Independent
Associated acts Malanga
Thomas Dolby
The Pretenders
Pete Townshend
Eurythmics
David Gilmour
Jaguares
Website chuchomerchan.com

Jesús Alfredo Merchán (born December 24, 1952, Bogotá, Colombia[1]), commonly known as Chucho Merchán, is a session jazz, rock bassist[2] and guitarist. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cambridge University in 1980.

He has performed with Nucleus, the Eurythmics, The Pretenders, Thomas Dolby, George Harrison, Pete Townshend, David Gilmour, Robi Rosa, Bryan Adams, Kirsty MacColl, Jaguares and Everything but the Girl among others.

His first musical experiences[3] are in South America with his successful band called Malanga and with university bands in California, U.S.A. In 1974 he travels to England to study music at the famous Cambridge University. He studies composition, orchestration, direction and orchestral conduction, guitar, piano, percussion and doublebass. In 1980 he received his degree in Bachelor of Arts. In the same year, after his graduation, he begins to play doublebass at the English and American Jazz Circuit. His band Macondo, which he founds and for which he composes, wins the prize for the best European jazz band, competing against another 150 participants. With this band he plays at the jazz festivals in Montreaux and Newport.

In Cambridge he receives the prize for composition with his string quartet Vientos del Sur. In 1983 he joins the Thomas Dolby band as a guitarist and does his first world tour promoting the album The Flat Earth.

In 1986 he joins the band The Pretenders with whom he records the album Get Close and plays at concerts. Right after the eruption of the Nevado del Ruíz volcano, which destroyed Armero and left 25,000 dead people, Chucho organizes a charity concert for the survivors. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Annie Lennox (Eurythmics), Pete Townshend (The Who), Mike Oldfield and many more participate at this event.

With the funds acquired, many charity works were done in Colombia besides a school, a sports center and a brick factory to help reconstruct the lives of so many people. This is when FONEVA was born, a charity organization which he manages himself and which helps children, elderly people and animals in Colombia.[4]

Chucho has done innumerable world tours with diverse artists and has participated in many musical projects as arranger, composer and producer. He conducted The London Philharmonic Orchestra for Pete Townsend’s album Iron Man and recorded the bass in Scoop, White City and Deep End Live and was the musical director on the tour of The Who which celebrated their 25th anniversary of existence. In 1987 he joins Eurythmics[5] for the recording, programming and composition of the albums Revenge, We Too Are One and Peace, and plays at their respective tours. He worked with Annie Lennox[6] on her  album Diva and subsequently participated in the recording of the album Red Hot and Blue to help the Aids victims. With Eurythmics, they participated at the concert celebrated at the Wembley Stadium to push the South African government to release Nelson Mandela[7].

Chucho Merchán (far center) playing bass with Eurythmics in 1987
Chucho Merchán with rooster Rod promoting the vegan revolution


Discography

Chucho Merchán solo career

  • De regreso a casa. Independent, 2007
  • Es ahora o nunca. Independent, 2009
  • Mundo al reves. Independent, 2011
  • Revolución de conciencia. Independent, 2013
  • El pueblo unido. Independent, 2015
  • El poder sagrado de la vida. Independent, 2017
  • Vystopía. Independent, 2018

References

  1. ↑ "Chucho Merchán, el sonido de Macondo" [Chucho Merchán, the sound of Macondo]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). August 28, 1992. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Chucho Merchan". Know Your Bass Player. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
  3. ↑ "Biografía de Chucho Merchan | Last.fm". Last.fm (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  4. ↑ Radio, Caracol. "Chucho Merchán el rockero animalista". Caracol Radio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  5. ↑ FM, La (2018-05-03). "Chucho Merchán, el músico que colaboró Eurythmics y Pink Floyd, habló con Los Originales" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  6. ↑ Ellis, Lucy (2009-12-16). Annie Lennox: The Biography. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857121141.
  7. ↑ Tiempo, Casa Editorial El (2016-09-01). "La leyenda del rock nacional que se 'codeó' con The Who y Eurythmics". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-08-20.
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