Bob Dorough Of 'Schoolhouse Rock' Is Dead At 94
MOUNT BETHEL, Pa. (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A musician whose songs helped teach children on ABC's "Schoolhouse Rock" has died.
His son, Chris, says 94-year-old Bob Dorough died of natural causes Monday at his home in Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania.
According to his biography, the jazz musician "set the multiplication tables to music" as musical director for the educational cartoon series between 1973 and 1985. It was revived from 1993 to 1999.
He also wrote the song "Devil May Care," which jazz great Miles Davis recorded as an instrumental version. His numerical nuances include "My Hero, Zero". "Three Is a Magic Number", and "Ready or not, Here I Come! (Fives)".
But the composer and lyricist wasn't limited to Multiplication Rock. He also contributed the episodes "Conjunction Junction", "Verb: That's What's Happenin'", and "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here" to Grammar Rock.
Dorough also wrote the music and lyrics to "The Shot Heard Round the World" and "Mother Necessity" for America Rock.
Dorough was born in Arkansas and raised in Plainview, Texas. He headed to New York City after graduating from the University of North Texas in 1949. He eventually settled in Pennsylvania.
A funeral is tentatively scheduled for Monday in Mount Bethel.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
