Performance · Other credits
Mel Davis
Mel Davis is credited on 775 releases across 201 albums tracked on Gatefold, active 1956–2025 — the collector-built map of who actually made the music.
775
Credits
201
Albums
8
Decades active
180
In collections
Biography
Showing the Discogs bio
American trumpet player, multi-instrumental musician and arranger.
Born 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Died December 28, 2004 in in Florida, USA.
He also played piano, violin, drums, tuba, bass, accordion and ocarina.
He studied music at Curtis Institute and Temple University. He played with the Philadelphia Opera Company and Symphony Orchestra. In 1954 he went to New York, playing whatever jobs came to hand, until 1956, when he joined Benny Goodman's band.
Davis became a staff musician at NBC, a position he held for 10 years. During that time, he performed with Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Johnny Carson and many other top stars. He played in the Sesame Street house band for seventeen years.
He was also the owner of Mel’s Place in Baldwin, New York, a jazz club on Long Island.
Bio from Discogs
Credited work
775 releases · 201 albums · active 1956–2025
- Performance · 938
- Other credits · 67
Studios: Atlantic Studios · Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey · Mediasound · Webster Hall
Discography
Records they worked on — most-collected first.

AWB
1974

Lady In Satin
1958

California Dreaming
1967

The Other Side Of Abbey Road
1970

Trilogy: Past, Present & Future
1980

The Wiz (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
1978

Free
1972

Persuasive Percussion Volume 3
1960

The Manhattan Transfer
1975

Everything's Coming Up Love
1976

Who I Am
1975

Big Band Hits Of The 30's & 40's
1971

Big Band Bossa Nova
1962

Will Power
1987

Peaches & Herb
1977

Melba
1976

Symbiosis
1974

Dimension •3•
1964

At Carnegie Hall Recorded Live June 9 1962
1962

Little Jimmy Rushing And The Big Brass
1958

Born To Add (The Great Rock & Roll From Sesame Street)
1983

Sesame Disco!
1979

And His Magnificent Movie Machine
1977

Faith, Hope & Charity
1975
Frequent collaborators
- Sesame Street
- Various
- Enoch Light And The Light Brigade
- Van McCoy
- Living Jazz
- Tony Mottola
- Marty Gold And His Orchestra
- Hugo Montenegro And Orchestra
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