Lester Melrose

Lester Franklin Melrose (December 14, 1891 – April 12, 1968) was a talent scout who was one of the first American producers of Chicago blues records.

Career

Lester Franklin Melrose was born in Sumner, Illinois, He also worked for Columbia and its Okeh subsidiary.

In many ways Melrose can be considered a founder of the Chicago blues, although he favored acoustic over electric performances. Most of his recordings were made with a small group of session musicians and had a similar sound overall. called it "sweet jazz". The music was a mixture of black blues and vaudeville styles and material with newer swing rhythms.