Career
In the 1950s he worked as an arranger with Leiber and Stoller. From the early 1960s he was employed as an arranger and producer at Columbia Records, where he was responsible for records by singers such as Andy Williams, Barbra Streisand, Bobby Vinton, Dion, Johnny Mathis, Julie Andrews, Mel Tormé, Patti Page and Ray Peterson. He was also responsible for many of Aretha Franklin"s early recordings at Columbia, including her 1964 tribute album to Dinah Washington, Unforgettable.
According to writer Ursula Rivera, Mersey "was able to provide musical arrangements that highlighted Aretha"s unique voice whether she was singing a noisy blues number or a heartbreaking ballad." Mersey also arranged and composed for Columbia Broadcasting System Television and films, and produced several albums of incidental music, including Great Jazz from Great television, credited to "Det Moor".
He died in Baltimore, Maryland, at the age of 77.