Personal Bio

THE EARLY YEARS

Mel Culbertson Jr. was born April 9, 1946 in Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.A., the second of five children.  The Culbertson family can trace its ancestry back to Scottish, German and Cherokee origins.  His father, a construction specialist and master mechanic filled the Culbertson home with beautiful music he played on the fiddle, mandolin and guitar.  Young Mel learned to play by ear the melodies that he heard on all these folk instruments.  He began the study of piano at age six and took up the trumpet three years later, studying with an uncle and local music teacher.  Mel became intrigued with the sousaphone after watching fanfares and parades and begged his music teacher to study the large instrument.   He was discouraged by his instructor who told him his lips were too thin for the large mouthpiece.  It was not until the family moved to Ventura, California that Mel got the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.  Fortunately for Mel, his new music teacher (and assistant wrestling coach) Robert Barnum also had a great love and respect for this king of low brass instruments and recognized the talent his young student possessed.  Mr. Barnum planted the seed of musical curiosity for the determined twelve year old and guided him in the right direction.

The news clipping below is a Ventura Star Free Press clipping circa 1964. It's an old
clipping and the photo quality is not the best, but the nostalgia makes it awesome!

Mel became the tuba soloist of the Ventura County Symphony Orchestra at the age of 14 and still in middle school.  He also performed under the baton of Lucas Foss in the Ojai Festival Orchestra.  Mel’s high school years, under the direction of Larry Weiss, found him earning the first-chair positions in the All-Ventura County Honor bands all three years, and at 17 he was chosen again as the first chair tuba player in the All-State High School Honor Band.  He was, at this young age, one of the founding members of both the Ventura County and Los Angeles County Brass Ensembles.  In addition, on most Sundays, Mel and his younger brother Richard could be heard singing from the community church for live radio broadcasts!  Mel graduated from Ventura High School and was awarded the honor of the Most Outstanding Senior Bandsman.  He was elected into the Hall of Fame at Ventura High, and his picture still hangs in the entry way.  Through his efforts, a music analysis class was created at his high school, a variation of which is still taught today. 

Mel also received the second and later first prize in the All-Musical Instrument Competition (Phi Mu Alpha) competing with candidates throughout the state of California.  He was given a personal invitation and awarded a scholarship to perform with the Idyllwild Music Camp Orchestra which resulted in his being voted most outstanding musician by its members.  He was subsequently selected to participate in a Scandinavian tour with the same group.

Having received numerous scholarships in both music and wrestling, Mel chose to attend the University of California at Long Beach and began private tuba lessons with Roger Bobo, tubaist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  While at the university, he played with the Long Beach Municipal Band and was later offered the tuba position there.  Mel  performed in the Long Beach Symphony concerts as well.

The war in Vietnam pressed Mel into military service and his service was fulfilled by being accepted into the elite West Point Military Academy Band.  While at West Point, he performed in numerous chamber music series and premiered the Jessie Suite by Alec Wilder.  Mel always took advantage of every opportunity to study his craft, so he enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York City which was in close proximity to West Point.  Weekends found Mel at Carnegie Hall listening to the visiting international orchestras, chamber ensembles and theater music.    Mel  performed the second Tuba Recital  in Carnegie Hall.  During that period of time he also traveled to Chicago in order to study with Arnold Jacobs, the world renowned tubaist of the Chicago Symphony, andragogue and pedagogue for wind instruments.  It was also in New York where Mel met Harvey Phillips, the most sought-after tuba player on the east coast.  Following his Juilliard studies, Mel was persuaded by Mr. Phillips to move to Boston and further his education at the New England Conservatory of Music.  He studied with Harvey Phillips and Chester Schmitz, professor of tuba at the conservatory and tubaist of the Boston Symphony and also Mr. Schmitz’ colleague and principal bassoonist, Sherman Walt.

Beside Roger Bobo and Tommy Johnson, Mel became a tuba tester for the Los Angeles based Mirafone company directed by Howard Lockie.

Zubin Mehta, conductor of the Israel Philharmonic at that time invited Mel to audition for him at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and as a result offered him the solo tuba position in his orchestra in Tel Aviv.  However, due to the political unrest in the Middle East, newly married and anxious to travel to Europe he declined that position.  Mel followed his intuition by returning to California for a short time to do some Hollywood Film Studio work while he prepared for a trip to Germany.