Mel Crair was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended the LaGuardia High School of music and art, where one of his classmates was future artist Stanley Borack.  After serving in the Army during World War II, Crair attended the Art Students League of New York on the G.I. Bill.  Starting in the 1950s, he became one of the most prolific artists working in the pulp magazine and paperback business.  Especially remembered for both his western piantings and the military-themed covers that he painted for several men’s magazines, Crair never retired, working until his dying day.

Below is a small sampling of his work: