Mel Bay (February 25, 1913 – May 14, 1997) was an American musician and publisher best known for his series of music education books. His Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords remains a bestseller.Melbourne E. Bay was born on February 25, 1913, in the little Ozark Mountain town of Bunker, Missouri. He bought a Sears Roebuck guitar at the age of 13 and several months later played his first "gig". Bay did not have a guitar teacher, so Bay watched the few guitarists he knew and copied their fingering on the fretboard, teaching himself chords. Once he felt he knew the rudiments of the guitar, he started experimenting with other instruments, including the tenor banjo, mandolin, Hawaiian guitar, and ukulele.