AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mercy

Artist:Mercy

Song:Love (Can Make You Happy)

Album:Pop Memories of the 60s

Love (Can Make You Happy) was a top five hit in 1969. It's generally perceived as a one hit wonder but Mercy had one other chart single so technically it is not a one hit wonder. The leader of Mercy was Tampa, FL native Jack Sigler Jr. He formed a band while in high school but he was the lead singer and he wrote all the songs. So the band members were disposable. Sigler's dad knew a film producer named George Roberts who was coming to Tampa to make a movie called Fireball Jungle and he asked Roberts to check out the band. Fireball Jungle was about a stock car racer tracking down murderers and thugs. The stars were John Russell (Rio Bravo) and Lon Chaney Jr. The movie was Z grade crapola but Mercy and the song Love (Can Make You Happy) was in the movie. Sigler was approached by Gil Cabot to release Love on his Sundi label. Sigler's dad paid for the recording session. Then Sigler was drafted into the US Navy and Mercy split up. But Love was getting regional airplay. So Cabot got Jamie/Guyden Records to distribute the record nationally and it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. Get Back by The Beatles was #1. Cabot wanted an album. But Sigler was in the Navy and Mercy had split up. So he formed a different act called The Mercy. The single Love was on the album. But the rest was covers by anonymous musicians. When Sigler came home on leave and found out about this, he sued Cabot and the album was pulled. Sigler reformed Mercy and signed to record an album for Warner Bros. But Cabot owned the original single. So that wasn't on the album. Ultimately the album flopped and Warners dropped Mercy. Love (Can Make You Happy) is on this 6CD Time Life various artists box set available at a reasonable price. Sigler still plays local clubs in Tampa. Here's a video for Love (Can Make You Happy) by Mercy. Thanks to the Alabama Record Collectors Association for the story.