Merrilee Rush (née Gunst; January 26, 1944)[1] is an American singer, best known for her recording of the song "Angel of the Morning", a top-10 hit which earned her a Grammy nomination for female vocalist of the year in 1968.

[4] In 1960, she auditioned and became the singer for the Amazing Aztecs, a Seattle-area rock and roll band led by saxophone player Neil Rush, whom she would later marry.

[5] In 1965, the pair formed Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts, who soon became a popular act on the Pacific Northwest's teen dancehall circuit, touring throughout Washington and Oregon.

While in Memphis, Tennessee, Raiders lead vocalist Mark Lindsay introduced Rush to record producer Chips Moman.

"Angel of the Morning" garnered Rush a Grammy Award nomination for best Contemporary Pop Female Vocalist of the year.

She was nominated along with Barbra Streisand ("Funny Girl"), Dionne Warwick ("Do You Know the Way to San Jose"), Aretha Franklin ("I Say a Little Prayer"), and Mary Hopkin ("Those Were the Days").

In 1969, now formally a solo artist, she released four more singles ("Reach Out", "Everyday Livin' Days", "Sign On for the Good Times", and "Angel on My Shoulder") on the Chips Moman-run Bell subsidiary, AGP Records.

While that was Rush's lone release on Scepter, she cut several tracks for the label including a femme version of the Billy Joel song "She's Got a Way" ("He's Got a Way").

79 on the Billboard Hot 100), and a cover of Burt Bacharach's "What the World Needs Now Is Love", which was produced by Quincy Jones for the soundtrack album to the film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.