The Dixie Melody Boys are an American Southern Gospel quartet from Kinston, North Carolina. They have been active for over 50 years. History The group was founded in 1961 by Avis Adkins with Eugene Payne, Ralph Walker and Tony Brown on piano; Ed O'Neal, their bass singer, joined in 1963, and subsequently became the group's leader and manager. Under O'Neal, the group has discovered singers who have gone on to become prominent in Gospel music, including McCray Dove with the Dove Brothers, Rodney Griffin with Greater Vision,Bryan Walker, who went on to become a contestant on Season 9 of American Idol and then later joined The Perrys, and Devin McGlamery with Signature Sound. The group was nicknamed the "Ed O'Neal University" because of the impact that Ed O'Neal has had on the industry of Gospel music. The group has had more than twenty hits in the Southern gospel field, including "Antioch Church Choir", "Double Dose", "Don't Point a Finger", and "Jesus In My Boat". The group has released a large number of albums and numerous VHS videos and DVD's. They have also won countless awards and even received a Grammy nomination.[citation needed] Ed O'Neal has received the Marvin Norcross Award and was inducted into the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame in 2004. The current group has re-established themselves as one of Gospel musics top groups. With the release of their 50th anniversary project "The Call Is Still The Same" and historic events such as the Anniversary Reunion celebration held at the National Quartet Convention, the Dixie Melody Boys have entered a new era. Tenor Matt Felts has played a crucial role in their rise, using his marketing company to assist in their promotions. He was responsible for the marketing strategy behind the groups 50th Anniversary celebration, the Anniversary album and the Reunion at NQC. The group added Southern Gospel favorite, Josh Garner to their lineup in August of 2013. In January 2013, the Dixie Melody Boys won four awards in the Southern Gospel Music Fan awards. Favorite Quartet: The Dixie Melody Boys Favorite Tenor: Matt Felts Favorite Bass: Ed O'Neal The group won the Favorite Male Quartet and Favorite Bass Singer awards in 2012. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.