Merrilee & The Turnabouts
Seattle, Washington
1965 - 1968

Members

I saw and talked to Merrilee Rush at the Hollywood Bowl/Grooveyard in about 1965 or 66.  She was gracious and professional and had her small child at the gig with her.  Her husband was in the band.  He was very protective of her and it was sweet to see that.

She was playing a Hammond C3 through a JBL D-130 15 inch speaker in a small plywood box.  She stood behind it in heels (painfull. now that’s professional).  There is much more to her than Angel of the Morning.  She rocked the place for four hours and at the time was one of the few female headliners.

Later,  Johnny Cash, a very hip man, had her on his  TV show, not because she was country but because she was and is a world class talent.  She took over the screen as she slowly walked to the front of the stage and made me realize that I wanted my own Angel of the Morning. She had stage presence very much like a young Bette Middler

Robert Brown, The Centaurs, June 2007

 

Merrilee - Photo by and Courtesy of Sandy Weedman

Merrilee - Photo Courtesy of Sandy Weedman

"Don't let a step back keep you from taking the next step forward."

Our world lost a bit of its glow when our son, brother, uncle, friend, father and grandfather, Mark Hibbert, passed suddenly on October 22, 2011. Mark was born July 13, 1949 in Olympia, WA. He grew up in Everett, WA, moving to Lake Roesiger at age 14, in June, 1962. With the Beatles as inspiration, he begged for a bass guitar and began playing music and singing, soon after for dances and the Evergreen State Fair "Battles of the Bands". By the time he graduated from Snohomish High in 1967 he was already devoted to pursuing a career in music.

Throughout his life, Mark honed his talents, often giving other aspiring songwriters the advice that "anytime you get a rhyme write it down".  Early bands included Axis Drive, Superband, Fat Chance and Merrilee Rush and The Turnabouts. Though he enjoyed them all, the duo of Hiatt & Hibbert allowed Mark to perform original music with Randy Hiatt, his lifelong friend and amazing piano player, singer and songwriter. Many may remember them performing at the old Ricardo's Restaurant in Everett. For the next 12 years he performed as a single.

Before his daughters were born, Mark moved from Beacon Hill to Marysville, WA where he would set down roots as well as tracks. He opened Whiskey Ridge Productions which freed him from the road and allowed him the privilege of providing a wonderful home for his children while producing music and video. The studio became the main focus for the rest of his life and many local groups benefited from his nurturing. But Mark never stopped singing, writing and playing guitar and bass. He added his talent to Jimmy Lee's Allstars, the Brian Bowman Band, Jessie Cooper & Friends, wrote music with his band-of-songwriting brothers, Nomad Fish, and for the last two years was the music director for the Hometown Band, performing at the Historic Everett Theater for the Hometown Hootenanny.
He patented two widgets called Zap-It, to restring guitars and rapidly change drum heads during performance. His studio is a study in eccentricity, right down to his jury rigged mic stand that should be enshrined to his memory. Everyone who knows him recalls his wicked sense of humor.

Mark worked hard at what he loved, found a way through every dark day and saw clearly the light in everyone he met. His many friends knew how important they were to him because he let them know often. Wayne Hayton was one such friend. Mike Miller and his mother, Roberta, were too. But to have a life-long friend is unique, and Greg (Sharon) Elwood was that friend for Mark ever since they were four or five years old. In the last month of his life, he was involved in a benefit for the Melodic Caring Project, a therapeutic music program for pediatrics. The day he left us, Mark was preparing for an evening performance with Nomad Fish. He died doing what he loved and with people he adored.

Mark leaves behind his beloved family, Gale Prouty and their son, Jason Prouty (Erin Maxwell Prouty); daughters, Caitlin and Christiana Hibbert; and grandson, Nicholas Peterson; his mother, Dolores Melby Hibbert; brother, Scott (Karen) Hibbert; sister, Renee (Larry) Greenleaf; and brother, Randy Hibbert; Betty Hibbert (Clay); and Donna Hibbert (mother of his daughters).

He was preceded in death by his father, Wally Hibbert; and his younger brother, Clay Hibbert.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Donations can be made to Dawson Place CAC, Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center, "Honoring The Memory of Mark Hibbert", 1509 California Street, Everett, Washington 98201; or to The Melodic Caring Project at: www.melodiccaringproject.com.

Published in The Herald (Everett) on October 30, 2011

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Last Update:  31 October 2011 Credits: Hairy Blair, Mark Hibbert,  Danny Hoefer, Darryl Riffero, Terry Lauber, Bill Cleland, Steve Tuba, Joe Cox, Joel Johnson, Sandy Weedman, Al Cantrell, David Jonsson, Candy Lentz, Jennifer Williams, Terry Gregg, Brian Knowles, Dr. Mike Robbins, Neil Rush, George Holt, Larry Foster, Mike Robbins, Carl Cook, Carl Wilson, Eddie Bishop, John Gordon, Chuck Burbank, Marc Legan, Gary Ruhl, George (O'Brien) Clark, Peter Sack,  Mike McMullen