850 GOOD NEWS: Local band, Drive-Bye, gives back

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Drive-Bye started with two brothers, their dad and a front-porch jam session on Front Beach Road that quickly drew a roadside crowd.

“We originally started playing on our front porch around front beach road and traffic started getting clogged up,” said Samuel Merritt, the band’s guitarist. “The cops came by and said, ‘Hey, y’all need to tell them to drive “bye”…’ and that’s where the name came from.”

Today, Samuel and Levi Merritt, along with their dad, Frank Merritt, create everything out of a garage studio. They write, produce and perform all their songs.

They’ve released more than 20 songs, with more on the way.

But Drive-Bye’s mission goes beyond entertainment. The band has played for assisted living facilities and raised money for autism programs.

“It’s super cool to see all these people who are older and past their prime in life just enjoying music and enjoying fellowship together,” said Samuel.

Their impact has reached far beyond the Panhandle too. When the California fires and Texas floods upended lives, the brothers turned emotion into action.

“We have so many friends out there and people we really felt for,” said Levi Merritt, the band’s drummer.

They wrote two songs inspired by those disasters: “Palisade,” named after the Palisade fire in California in June 2025, and “Texas Will Be Alright,” released after deadly floods swept through Texas in July last year.

The brothers said the proceeds from the songs went to the people impacted.

“We wanted to help them in the capacity we were able to,” Levi said.

And behind the music is family. Their dad has been there since day one.

“At the beginning I had to play and sing on a lot of them,” Frank said. Now they’re going to like, “No dad, we can play the guitar better than you,” which is true. And it’s a good process; that’s where we wanted to go.

For the Merritts, they say the best part is making music together, and making it matter. Drive-Bye’s songs are available on major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.

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