Lester Melrose
| Lester Melrose | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lester Franklin Melrose |
| Born |
December 14, 1891 Sumner, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 12, 1968 (aged 76) Lake, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Chicago blues |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer |
| Associated acts | Tampa Red |
Lester Melrose (December 14, 1891 – April 12, 1968) was one of the first American producers of blues records.
Lester Franklin Melrose was born in Sumner, Illinois, the second of six children of Frank and Mollie Melrose, who owned a small farm. He relocated to Chicago around 1914 and tried out unsuccessfully as a catcher for the Chicago White Sox baseball team before starting work as a grocery salesman.
In 1918 (though some sources state 1922), he joined forces with his elder brother Walter and Marty Bloom (born Martin Blumenthal, 1893-1974) to form the Melrose Brothers Music Company, a publishing house and music store on the South Side of Chicago. In May 1923, he met Jelly Roll Morton at the store, and Morton became the company's chief songwriter and arranger. By the end of 1923, Walter Melrose moved the music publishing business downtown, while Lester continued for a while to operate the music store with a new partner.
In 1925, Lester Melrose sold his share of the store and became a freelance A&R man, combining the roles of talent scout and record producer. He started to promote many blues artists who became popular, recording them mainly in Chicago.
He worked for several record labels simultaneously in the 1930s, including RCA Victor and its subsidiary Bluebird, Columbia, and Okeh. Among the artists he recorded and brought to the world's attention were Joe "King" Oliver, Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Boy Williamson, Memphis Minnie, Roosevelt Sykes, Lonnie Johnson, Big Joe Williams, Bukka White, Washboard Sam, Champion Jack Dupree, Jazz Gillum, Arthur Crudup, Victoria Spivey and Leroy Carr.
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