The Melody Boys perform at MHS student assembly Click photo for enlargement and more information !

The Melody Boys treated thousands of listeners to wonderful dance music in the 1950's.  Their professional "Big Band" sound was quite impressive for a group of local teenagers during the magical 1950's.

Rick (Warwick) Shultz, with help from Jim Hodnett, has compiled a CD of the sounds of The Melody Boys.  These remarkable recordings were made during the 1950's in the MHS auditorium (during student assemblies) and also at the Henry County Exhibition (Broad Street tobacco warehouse).  Through their generosity, the CD's are being made available to MHS alumni and friends.

Comments from band member, Rick (Warwick) Shultz: "When some of these cuts were recorded, I was 13.  Maybe 14 or 15 in the picture?  The group had already been pretty awesome before I sort-of joined it.  That's when you remember them so well.  I never did "officially" join the group ... but when they wanted to have a "big band sound" they needed another saxophone player and, honestly, I had become so damn good at the time that they asked me to join.  I was honored, and was accepted by everyone ... except maybe Billy Kirk, who probably considered me more of a threat and a nuisance to his position as "sax man" in the band! The cover photo is actually a scan I made of a photocopy of a letter that Benny Eanes sent me last year.  Jim Hodnett has the original one, somewhere, but wasn't able to find it for me, so I did the best I could and scanned Benny's letter. Now, the photo on the disks themselves - that's a photo I found in my mother's jewelry case that most likely my father took during an assembly program at MHS.  That's me, right there in the middle of the picture.  Jerry's off to the left, Billy Kirk is next to me ... Johnny Crews is way off in the background and Terry Mitchell is off on the right side. Mavahi.com is unique in that it is specifically dedicated to former students of just one high school - and it is FREE!  Without mavahi.com, I would never have seen Bruce Lupton's note asking if anyone knew what had happened to me or if anyone had any tapes made by the group.  And I never would have gotten in touch with Jim Hodnett to get copies of what he had - copies that had on them my father's voice as he MC'd the Henry County Exposition almost 50 years ago that I didn't know even existed until now! There are hundreds of former students of MHS out there who, I'm sure, would love to have copies of these CD's.  The only thing I ask is that recipients of The Melody Boys CD's make a contribution to Mavahi.com.  I did, and I see a number of others on the mavahi.com Contributors List have too.  Enjoy the music!  And best wishes to you all!" Rick (Warwick) Shultz

Mavahi.com is unique in that it is free and specifically dedicated to former students of just one high school - ours! ... the only thing I ask is for recipients of the CD's make a contribution to Mavahi.com. - - - - Rick (Warwick) Shultz