Melvin Rhyne

Melvin Rhyne (b. Indianapolis, October 12, 1936 - d. Indianapolis, March 5, 2013) – Pianist and jazz organist. A largely self-taught pianist, Rhyne attended Crispus Attucks High School and learned the craft of a jazz musician at the clubs of Indianapolis’s Indiana Avenue. He then went on to play with Roland Kirk (1956-57). Around the same time, he backed R & B and blues artists such as T-Bone Walker and B.B. King. As an organist, he played with Wes Montgomery’s quartet from 1959 to 1964 and recorded four albums with them. In 1969, he moved to Wisconsin, where he dropped out of the limelight; however, his career picked up again in 1990, when he started recording again with major artists including Joshua Redman. Recently, he has co-led a quartet with fellow Indy-native “Killer” Ray Appleton. Currently, he is back in Indianapolis playing organ weekly at the Jazz Kitchen with Rob Dixon. In fact, he is under contract with Owl Studios as part of the Dixon-Rhyne Project.