It was 1947 and the country was adjusting to peace after World War II. At the University of Rochester, Sigma Chi was holding a dance with fraternity member and trombone player Ray Murphy leading his jazz band. This was the first time that fellow member Ted Shafer had heard real jazz live and he was hooked! Born in Rochester, New York, the home of Kodak, and raised in the state's Finger Lake region, Ted had never heard such infectious sound.

It would take twelve years, including his degree in Enclish, for the first phase of that infection: gathering stacks of shellac 78s with the great music; moving first to Cincinnati and then Los Angeles; years of banjo practice; numerous weekends flying to hear the Great Pacific Jazz Band in San Francisco and learn details for forming a band from Charles Sonnanstine and Robin Wetterau; two years of band rehearsals in pianist Don Martin's living room in Van Nuys.

Finally, in 1959, Ted had a group worthy of carrying the moniker of Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton. Engagements and recording sessions followed. Ted even formed an offshoot smaller band. In 1965, Ted was able to move to northern California to be nearer the Bay Area music scene. He again formed a band—with the two flavors: an eight-piece one like the first Los Angeles group that was similar to Joe "King" Olivers' Creole Jazz Band of the 1920s and a five piece New Orleans style 4/4 group. Ted still has engagements for both band styles.

In 1964, Ted started the Merry Makers Record Company. The company's first recordings were issued as 12" vinyl LPs—along with the small 45s, LPs could be considered a third "generation" format, Edison's original wax cyinders and the shellac 78s being the first two. Later, numerous recordings were issued in various tape formats and, in more recent years, all recordings have been issued as CDs. Ted now has over 30 CDs under the Merry Makers label including his own band and the bands of Turk Murphy, Lu Watters, Don Nealy and Earl Scheelar as well as the South Frisco J.B.

It should be noted that Ted also put his degree in English to good use. That, along with his love of flying, helped him create a novel of adventure and suspense: "Jimmy Beebe and the Great Silver Air Fleet" that was published in 1978.