One night in 1982, after he had walked away from a thriving career in the studios, clubs and concert stages of his native England, saxman Chris Mercer found himself uncustomarily armed only with an alto sax and at the foot of the stage at the White Eagle Saloon in North Portland.

In town on business (and to buy a new mouthpiece for said alto), Mercer accompanied friends who wanted him to hear a local powerhouse bluesman named Paul deLay and his band. Onstage, an unaware Paul deLay continued to stiff-arm Mercer. Unsure of who he was, deLay declined to let him sit in - until the last set, when he relented and invited the Brit up. Calling an obscure old blues nugget known only to true aficionados, Mercer not only knew the tune, but proceeded to burn through a solo that left even the White Eagle's old ghostly inhabitants trembling.

His thought was, when he walked into the club and heard the band, "This is really cool," he says. "I had been talking to Paul, and getting the brush-off. I had to talk about some of the stuff that I thought would pique him, stuff I'd done. I started name-dropping, which can be obnoxious sometimes, but sometimes you have to."

It worked. It was love at first note. Mercer, who'd moved to Sun Valley, Idaho, in 1980 with his wife (who was from the area originally), young sons and a degree in geography from England's Oxford University, sat in with the band again when soon after they ventured to Idaho's winter wonderland, and Mercer found himself relocating to Portland in 1985.

Mercer played and arranged on most of the deLay Band's early recordings and toured with them, endearing himself to the group with his musical knowledge, depth and soulful, nuanced playing. For a man who'd played with John Mayall, Freddie King, even Dr. John, Mercer saw something in that '80s Portland band.

He was a bit taken aback by the band, which at that point included deLay, DK Stewart on piano/organo, Jim Mesi on guitar, drummer Paul Jones, and your writer on bass. "It was just such a strong band. Mesi and Stewart were just masters of their art. The material was cool, and they gave off a good vibe."

London's loss was Portland inestimable gain

Curriculum vitae

Mercer (far left, back row) played with the Blue Monks during his college years up at Oxford University

Few Portland players can boast the kind of resume that saxman Chris Mercer has built over the last 40 years. Mercer, an unassuming man until he breathes some rollicking life into his tenor horn, of late during a solo with D.K. Stewart's band or as second tenor in chanteuse Lily Wilde's big band, might not be a household name in Portland, but his musical lineage goes back to the heyday of rock and roll in London.

By one quick online estimate, Mercer's appeared on some 150 recordings. He's played and toured with and arranged for well-known artists such as Mayall,, Bob Marley, the Temptations, the Spinners, the Pretenders and scores of others. His list of session and tour dates seems endless.

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About the Author

Don Campbell is a contributor to Oregon Music News