Melvin proudly served his country in The United States Navy & The United States Marines during World War II. He was very proud of his Native American heritage. He was named Honorary Chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation by Chief Dode McIntosh. He was a U. S. Marshall and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police. He was a very gifted musician and a member of the Musician's Union. He played with many noted artists. Among his favorites were Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Roy Clark, & Leon Russell. He also was a very talented Silversmith, creating beautiful silver & turquoise pieces. He won many awards and ribbons for his beautiful jewelry. Some of those pieces are on display in the Smithsonian. Melvin was a member of the Western Swing Society of the Southwest and was entered into the Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City and Seattle. He was in the Color Guard for The Tulsa Shriners Indian Unit, also serving as Chaplain. He was a retired heavy equipment operator for the Operator's Union. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Billa Bevenue of the home; daughters, Barbara Frazier, Okmulgee, OK and Melvern Bevenue, Okmulgee, OK; sons, Rick Bevenue and wife Wilma, Nevada, MO and Melvin Bevenue, Jr. and wife Debra, Tulsa, OK; brother, Pat Bevenue and wife May, Sapulpa, OK; 15 grandchildren; and 30 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, William & Cinda Bevenue; his son, Brent Bevenue; eight brothers, and two sisters. Wake Service: 7:00 p.m. Thursday, October 7, 2010, at Mark Griffith Memorial Funeral Home - Westwood Chapel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Services: 1:00 p.m. Friday, October 8th, 2010, at Mark Griffith Memorial Funeral Home - Westwood Chapel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Officiating: Pastors Reuben Kelly & Mary Kelly. Final Resting Place: Green Hill Cemetery in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.

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Cain's Ballroom Drummer Performed with the Greats

As he lay there on the hood of the jeep with blood oozing from his head, Melvin Bevenue was pretty sure he'd played his last drum. But then something happened. The young Navy serviceman "had a vision," said his son, Melvin Bevenue Jr. "He said he suddenly saw Jesus standing there. And he told Dad that he wasn't ready for him yet and to go and live a good life. It was a story I'd never heard him tell until just recently. My dad didn't ever talk much about the war." Melvin Bevenue Sr., an aspiring percussionist who dropped out of Chilocco Indian School during World War II to enlist, went on to recover from his combat wounds. He returned to duty in the Pacific, but he never forgot about the charge to live a good life. And for Bevenue, music would always be integral to doing that. House drummer at Cain's Ballroom and other clubs at various times, the Tulsa resident became a respected percussionist who was sought out by many of the greats of country music. Playing with such notables as Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline, he was eventually named to the Western Swing Music Society of the Southwest Hall of Fame. An honorary chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation who contributed his talents to numerous powwows, Melvin Bevenue Sr. died Oct. 5 at the veterans hospital in Muskogee. He was 85. A funeral service was held Friday at Mark Griffith Memorial Funeral Home's Westwood Chapel. A crane operator by trade who worked many construction projects in downtown Tulsa, Bevenue reserved his nights for music. Besides his local club gigs, he was called on frequently by the big names, his son said. They often sent private jets to pick him up. "He was in demand," his son said. "If you had the money, he would come play. His gig money was our grocery money." Bevenue, who co-owned Guitar House and other Tulsa music shops at different times, also taught music lessons. His children all learned the drums from him, though Melvin Bevenue Jr. later took up the bass guitar instead. "All those drums were getting monotonous," said a smiling Bevenue Jr., who performed around town for years. Born in Beggs, Melvin Bevenue Sr., who was one of 12 children, began studying percussion at Chilocco Indian School after attending Sapulpa's Garfield School. But when the U.S. entered World War II, he quit to join the military. He served first with the Navy and then later the Marines, and his primary job was construction. Helping build landing fields and bunkers could be dangerous work with enemy soldiers at hand. Bevenue's head wound was the result of being struck by a bayonet. Another time he was shot in the legs. The veteran would finally get, in May 2002, the high school diploma he always regretted missing out on. He was among the first veterans to take advantage of a new state law allowing them to obtain theirs if military service had prevented them from doing so. Music wasn't Bevenue's only creative outlet. He became almost as well known for his jewelry. The award-winning silversmith, who began learning the craft as a student at Chilocco, sold his silver and turquoise pieces at flea markets and fairgrounds. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., bought some of his pieces, his son said. Though his health was failing, Bevenue continued to play his drums at home and on occasional gigs until a couple of months before his death.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 57 years, Billa Bevenue; sons Rick Bevenue and Melvin Bevenue Jr.; daughters Barbara Frazier and Melvern Bevenue; brother Pat Bevenue; 15 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.

(Tulsa World, Oct. 13, 2010, Tim Stanley, Writer)