In 1964, Mel switched to steel guitar and started playing country music and jamming with bands in Fresno. The next year, Mel made the move to Bakersfield where he performed at the Blackboard, the Lucky Spot, Tex's Barrel House and Miler’s Cave. He went by the name of Mel Ray so that his mother, who was very religious, would not find out where he was playing. He used that name for 15 years, playing all over the United States and for his fellow soldiers in Vietnam.

Mel had just met Merle Haggard at the Flamingo in Las Vegas and had the chance to talk for a few hours about country music. Merle wished the best to Mel, who had just received his draft notice.

In 1966 Mel went into the Army and was sent to Fort Meade, Md. Always the entertainer, he would head out and play music three of the nights in the clubs around Baltimore and in Washington, D.C.

In 1967 he was transferred to Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, CO. Mel became the bandleader at the biggest club in the area, the Sundown Lounge in Manitou Springs. They played six nights a week with many after hours that could last until 5 in the morning. It was the perfect opportunity for him to host his own radio show from the bandstand. Many of the artists who became guests were booked from O-MAC Agency, owned by Buck Owens. They included Rose Maddox, Tommy Collins, Jerry Naylor, Wanda Jackson, Gene Price, Wynn Stewart, Hank Thompson, Eddie Fukano, who was considered the Elvis of Japan, and Bobby Morrison, who wrote the instrumental, "Buckaroo," still played today as an anthem to the Buck Owens’ Buckaroos.

In 1968 Mel was shipped out to Vietnam. The Navy Seabees found out Mel played country music and offered to furnish all the equipment needed if he would put a band together. Mel performed 50 to 60 shows during that time and received plaques and awards from the Seabees, Marines and the Army for doing more to entertain the troops than anyone in the area.

Mel returned from Vietnam in 1969 and after taking the position of bandleader in Tucson, touring military bases in the Southwest, he moved back to Bakersfield in 1972 and started performing under his real name, Mel Lawrence. Like many of the local musicians, he became friends with Bill Woods and started playing bass at the Barrel House.

The Rodeway Inn holds great memories during the years Mel hosted his own shows with musicians Henry Sharp, Red Simpson and Larry Petree, and, later, Gene Moles and Mack Owens. He played the Sherriff’s Posse dance for 10 years and was part of the original all-star western swing band for the country music museum at Pioneer Village.

Mel had been battling his health most of the year, trying to recover from seven strokes and a major heart attack. A few months back, he had gained enough strength to walk again and did what all musicians would do. He drove to the Crystal Palace to watch great country music, he drove to the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame and saw that his album cover (same image as the cover I'm selling) was part of the entrance collage. He then drove to the Cowboy Church to thank God for his life, his family, his friends and his music.