A Tribute to
Melbourne E. Bay, 1913-1997
Mel Bay, founder and first
president of Mel Bay
Publications, Inc., died at
age 84 on May 14, 1997. Mel
Bay was born in the Missouri
town of Bunker and raised in
DeSoto where as a teenager
he taught himself how to
play the guitar and
performed regularly with
various Ozark region bands.
His plans to study
engineering in college were
brought to a halt by the
Depression.
Upon moving to St. Louis,
Mel took up the tenor banjo
and became a highly sought
after musician and teacher.
He began writing guitar
methods in 1947. His method
books grew in popularity
worldwide and laid the
foundation for most of
today's guitar pedagogy.
Guitar Player magazine
referred to him as "the
George Washington of the
guitar." It is difficult to
find a guitarist worldwide
who has not, at some point,
studied one of Mel's method
books. Sales of his Modern
Guitar Method series are
estimated to be well in
excess of 20 million copies.
Mr. Bay received many awards
during his career which
include the "Lifetime
Achievement Award" from the
Guitar Foundation of
America, "Lifetime
Achievement Award" from the
Retail Print Music Dealers
Association, the "Owen
Miller Lifetime Achievement
Award" from the American
Federation of Musicians,
"Certificate of Merit" from
the St. Louis Music
Educators Association, a
resolution from the Missouri
House of Representatives
honoring his achievements, a
proclamation by mayor
Freeman Bosley Jr. making
October 25, 1996 "Mel Bay
Day" in the city of St.
Louis and a letter of
commendation from President
Clinton.
Mel Bay established the
structure for modern guitar
education and by so doing,
laid the foundation for the
continued growth and
advancement of the
instrument.
Books
Guitar Chords
(book)
Mandolin Chords
(book)
Old Time Fiddle Solos (book)
