Schoolhouse Rock Legend Dead at 94

Bob Dorough was musical director for the series from 1973 to 1985
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 24, 2018 4:18 PM CDT
Schoolhouse Rock Legend Dead at 94
DVD cover   (Amazon.com)

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, the AP reports. 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.

Dorough was born in Arkansas and raised in 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.

(More Schoolhouse Rock stories.)

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