George Melvin's early experience with the B-3's double keyboard and footpedals greatly influences his style.
Why play one keyboard when you could play two or three, and get your feet into the act, too?
BIOGRAPHY
Born with the gift of music, George Melvin is a professional musician who has spent his lifetime learning and creating new ways to present it to audiences. He is an accomplished keyboard artist who delights listeners with his multitude of skills on the piano, keyboards, or Hammond B-3 organ.
George began his professional career at 18 years of age, playing his Hammond B-3 organ nationally and internationally with The Moments, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and other R&B groups managed by his first employer, All Platinum Studios in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. During his years in the NYC and New Jersey area he was mentored by B-3 organ jazzmaster Richard "Groove" Holmes, and he became a very skilled B-3 jazz organist - skillful enough for "Groove" to eventually permit people to assume that George was his son! The popularity of more portable electronic instruments during the 70's caused interest in the B-3 organ to wane temporarily, causing George to shift his performances to piano and keyboards.
Between 1974 and 2001 he served as the house musician for the Hyatt Regency and the Towers Hotel in Atlanta, GA, Dante's Resort Hotel in Westport, CT. Boar's Head Inn Resort in Charlottesville, VA, and as a corporate musician for Stouffers International Hotels - an assignment which carried him throughout the United States and Canada. Also during that time he provided entertainment for private events, Country Clubs, and upscale restaurants as his time permitted.
During that time, George's lifelong love affair with the B-3's multitude of voices led him to create a unique and very pleasing "Group Sound". He achieves this by using an agile mix of piano and keyboards that results in an amazingly warm, rich and realistic effect of a small instrumental group. Because he is able to "compose in performance", he is not tied to a pre-recorded play list - an unusually skillful technique!
During the first twenty-five years of his career, George Melvin performed with a large number of well-known name entertainers, either as a member of their bands or as the "host musician" when they performed at venues where he was employed. Pearl Bailey, Dean Martin, Toots Thieleman, Al Hurt, Grant Green, Miles, Davis, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Ray Charles, Teddy Pendergrass, Nat Reeves and many others have influenced both his style and his repertoire.
He never forgot his first love, however, and the late 80's revival of the Hammond B-3 organ as a jazz voice has opened the door for him to offer increased group performances and recordings playing "Miss Lucy", his Hammond B-3 organ.
Over the last several years George Melvin has offered his skills as an independent free-lance musician and bandleader. He also produces, engineers and creates music for his own and other musicians' projects in his Lady L Productions recording studio.
George Melvin is a native of Lynchburg, VA, and currently resides in Charlottesville, VA with his wife. He volunteers a portion of his time to playing for various schools, charitable events and Senior Citizens' facilities.