He subsequently studied harmony and music theory from Alf Clausen via mail correspondence, and did freelance work in the late 1960s with Alan Dawson, Lee Castle, and the Jimmy Dorsey Band.
DeMerle released an album, Spectrum, on United Artists Records in 1969, which featured Lawrence and Simmons, as well as Marvin Stamm, Frank Foster, and Lew Tabackin as sidemen.
Other associations in the 1970s included Michael Brecker, David Benoit, Eric Marienthal, Raul De Souza, the Heath Brothers, and Bunk Gardner.
They moved to Fernandina Beach, Florida, where DeMerle established the Amelia Island Jazz Festival and played frequently in hotels and on cruise ships.
[1] He has also accompanied many pop and jazz vocalists on drums, including Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Eddie Jefferson, Wayne Newton, Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, and Sarah Vaughan.