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     Chip Mergott  has been a performing songwriter for most of his adult life. In the mid-seventies he was a member of the popular Central Jersey soft rock group “Bittersweet” who went on to have several hits on RCA RECORDS as “Baillie and the Boys,” and by 1978 he was signed as a solo artist to London Records (and as a writer to their publishing branch, Burlington music.) He was also “discovered” around this time by Bonnie Raitt who has described him as “one of my favorite songwriters.”
    “Bridges,” the album he recorded for London Records in 1978/79 was produced by David Spinozza who also produced James Taylor’s “Walking Man”, among others. The stellar cast of musicians included the late Richard Tee, Rick Marotta, Michael Brecker, Elliot Randall, Hugh McCracken, John Tropea and Spinozza himself. Among the rare few that have heard it are those that consider “Bridges” to be one of the great “lost” singer-songwriter albums from the genre’s golden era.
    London folded their New York Pop music division in 1979 and after years of legal wrangling, Chip finally released the album to radio in 1985 (long before the current trend toward independent labels) and although it received considerable national airplay, it was never distributed to the public. (Notebook Records is planning to have it remastered for compact disc in the near future.) The title track, “Don’t Burn the Bridges”, co-written by Chip with Alan LeBoeuf, was scheduled for inclusion, then dropped, from Bonnie Raitt’s album “The Glow”, and has recently been released in Japan by singer Mary Wood.
    In 1987 Chip released an E.P. on vinyl with his band “The Stingers” called “Roomful of Noise,” an album he now considers an ill conceived attempt at becoming a “rocker”, a role he was not well suited for. In 1989, “My Home Isn’t in this World” was Notebook’s first C.D. release. Including guest vocalists “Glad”, it also recieved significant airplay around the country but was not available commercially until its recent inclusion on the Notebook Records website (audio samples available.) It was and is a “concept” album with a spiritual theme that reflects Chip’s own Christian beliefs.
    In the 90’s Chip hosted a radio show for five years dedicated to the art of songwriting: “Rhythm and News” on WDVR FM; met and married folksinger Annie Bauerlein (and produced her debut CD “Mugsy is Fine”); had songs published in Nashville; and  is currently recording his first Contemporary Christian/Gospel CD. He is also producing Annie’s upcoming second release and putting the finishing touches on an all acoustic guitar instrumental collection of classic old hymns. He teaches guitar and songwriting in the Delaware Valley region and accompanies Annie in a variety of folk venues throughout the Northeast.