Melvin Seals has had a powerful presence in the music industry for over 30 years, playing with the likes of Chuck Berry, Charlie Daniels and Elvin Bishop. The powerful keyboardist was playing with Bishop one memorable night back in 1980:

“This big guy, he was just playing a Fender Rhodes. But he was playing it so tasty…He was just playing the tastiest little stuff, I thought, This guy is just too much! I asked him what his names was. He said Melvin Seals.”

Jerry Garcia, on meeting Melvin Seals

It was early 1980 and the Jerry Garcia Band was looking for a new keyboardist. “Melvin started playing with us, and he was just a monster. He turned out to be the guy that we were looking for all along.” Jerry Garcia

For the next 18 years, Melvin played alongside of Jerry Garcia ripping on the Hammond b-3 and keyboards. Ten years after Jerry’s untimely passing, Melvin and JGB are keeping true to their signature sound with a 2005 summer tour accompanied by the release of a new JGB album of all Jerry Garcia Band songs in honor of Jerry Garcia to keep the music alive; as Keepers Of The Flame.