Bob Dorough

Bob Dorough was an American bebop jazz singer who performed and recorded with stars such as Miles Davis and Blossom Dearie and wrote the music for a highly regarded animated educational television series titled 'Schoolhouse Rock'. He recorded sporadically throughout his career with around 24 albums. He passed away at the age of 94 on April 23rd 2018. He was one of the rare singers to record with Miles Davis on two tracks, 'Nothing Like You' and 'Blue Xmas' in 1962. Mel Torme's 1962 recording of his song 'Coming Home Baby' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording and Dorough was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children for 'Multiplication Rock' in 1973. Born in Arkansas, he grew up in Texas and performed with bands at high school and in the military. He studied music at the University of North Texas and Columbia University in New York and became a professional in the emerging bebop jazz scene. In 1956 he released his first recording, 'Devil May Care', which became a classic with an instrumental version recorded by Miles Davis. ABC-TV commissioned him in 1971 to put the multiplication tables to music for the animated educational series 'Schoolhouse Rock' which ran on Saturday mornings from 1973 to '85 and returned in the '90s for five years. He released three jazz albums in the late '90s on the Blue Note label: 'Right On My Way Home', 'Too Much Coffee Man' and 'Who's On First' and in 2002 he did an international tour as an ambassador of jazz and blues for the US State Department and Kennedy Center. An album titled 'But for Now' by the Bob Dorough Trio came out in 2015 and the following year the trio recorded 'Live at the Deer Head Inn' at the iconic jazz club in Delaware Water Gap.

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