Skinker DeBaliviere in St. Louis, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Mel Bay
Born February 25, 1913
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 7, 2018
1. Mel Bay Marker
Inscription.
Mel Bay bought his first guitar at age thirteen, taught himself to play and was performing publicly within a few months. He moved to St. Louis in 1933, where he fronted his own trio and taught up to 100 students per week. In 1947 Bay published his landmark instruction manual "The Orchestral Chord System for Guitar," soon followed by "Modern Guitar Method." Marvels of simple yet thorough instruction, Bay's various guitar manuals sold over 25 million copies, called "The George Washington of the Guitar" by "Guitar Player" Magazine, Mel Bay promoted guitar popularity worldwide by making the instrument easily accessible to novice players while helping expert musicians improve their technique.
Mel Bay bought his first guitar at age thirteen, taught himself to play and was performing publicly within a few months. He moved to St. Louis in 1933, where he fronted his own trio and taught up to 100 students per week. In 1947 Bay published his landmark instruction manual "The Orchestral Chord System for Guitar," soon followed by "Modern Guitar Method." Marvels of simple yet thorough instruction, Bay's various guitar manuals sold over 25 million copies, called "The George Washington of the Guitar" by "Guitar Player" Magazine, Mel Bay promoted guitar popularity worldwide by making the instrument easily accessible to novice players while helping expert musicians improve their technique.
Erected 2011 by St. Louis Walk of Fame.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education. In addition, it is included in the Missouri, St. Louis Walk of Fame series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 25, 1913.
Location. 38° 39.316′ N, 90° 17.941′ W. Marker is in St. Louis, Missouri. It is in Skinker DeBaliviere. Marker is on Delmar Boulevard east of North Skinker Boulevard, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6178 Delmar Boulevard, Saint Louis MO 63112, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are
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within walking distance of this marker. Hale Irwin (a few steps from this marker); Chic Young (a few steps from this marker); Bob Pettit (within shouting distance of this marker); Sara Teasdale (within shouting distance of this marker); Andy Cohen (within shouting distance of this marker); T. S. Eliot (within shouting distance of this marker); Max Starkloff (within shouting distance of this marker); Jon Hamm (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Louis.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 13, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 134 times since then and 6 times this year. Photo1. submitted on October 13, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
