James Releigh Merritt or Jymie Merritt was an American bassist and composer who played alongside well-known jazz and blues artists including B.B. King, the Jazz Messengers, Chet Baker, and Max Roach. He was one of the earliest adopters of the electric bass. One of Jymie Merritt’s career highlights as a composer was when he reunited with Jazz Messenger trumpeter Lee Morgan. Morgan’s Live at the Lighthouse featuring Merritt’s composition “Absolutions” has since become a jazz classic. Merritt’s ensemble, the Forerunner, created jazz music that utilized Merritt’s own system of unique approaches to composition and has inspired musicians all around.