 His father was the Chairman of the English department at Montana State University, and his mother was a highly skilled cellist.During his younger years, Merriam performed in numerous school bands and local dance orchestras.Merriam studied music at Montana State University (‘47) and began graduate work in anthropology at Northwestern University (’48) where he became acquainted with the anthropologist Melville J. Herskovits, who “stimulated his interest in the study of music as a cultural phenomenon.” Merriam went on to complete a doctorate in anthropology, his dissertation titled “Songs of the Afro-Bahian Cults