Jymie Merritt is an American double-bassist, electric-bass pioneer, band leader and composer in the Jazz idiom. Merritt originally worked with rock and roll pioneers Chris Powell and Bull Moose Jackson before working with BB King for several years. In 1957 Jymie moved to New York City, to join Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, who he recorded seventeen albums with. In 1962 he moved on to forming his own group the Forerunners, and also worked with Chet Baker, Max Roach, Sonny Clark, Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, Jimmy Witherspoon and Dizzy Gillespie. Merritt began playing the electric bass within the first year of joining Bull Moose Jackson in 1949. He has received the the Clef Club of Philadelphia's Living Legend Jazz Award, the Jazz Heritage Award of the Philadelphia Jazz Fair and the Don Redman Heritage Award.