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Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, including an Academy Awards and 10 Grammy Awards. Grusin was also a frequent collaborator with director Sydney Pollack, scoring many of his films like Three Days of the Condor (1975), Absence of Malice (1981), Tootsie (1982), The Firm (1993), and Random Hearts (1999). In 1978, Grusin founded GRP Records with Larry Rosen, and was an early pioneer of digital recording.
Grusin studied music at the University of Colorado at Boulder and graduated in 1956. His teachers included Cecil Effinger, and Wayne Scott, a pianist, arranger, and professor of jazz.
In 1978, Grusin founded GRP Records with his business partner Larry Rosen, and began producing some of the first commercial digital recordings. Grusin was the composer for On Golden Pond (1981), Tootsie (1982), and The Goonies (1985). In 1988, he won the Academy Awards for Best Original Score for The Milagro Beanfield War. Grusin composed the musical signatures for the 1984 TriStar Pictures logo (which was credited at the end of Look Who's Talking Too) and the 1993 Columbia Pictures Television logo.
In 1998, Grusin ranked #5 and #8 on Billboards Top 10 Jazz Artists, at mid-year and at year's end, respectively, based on sales of his album "Dave Grusin Presents West Side Story."
From 2000–11, Grusin concentrated on classical and jazz compositions, touring and recording with collaborators including jazz singer and lyricist Lorraine Feather and guitarist Lee Ritenour. Their album Harlequin won a Grammy Award in 1985. Their classical crossover albums, Two Worlds and Amparo, were nominated for Grammys.
Grusin has a filmography of about 100 titles. His many awards include an Academy Awards for best original score for The Milagro Beanfield War, as well as Oscar nominations for The Champ, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Firm, Havana, Heaven Can Wait, and On Golden Pond. (1986). 9781495043161, Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9781495043161 Grusin received a Best Original Song nomination for "It Might Be You" from the film Tootsie. Six of the 14 cuts on the soundtrack from The Graduate are his. Other film scores Grusin has composed include Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?, Three Days of the Condor, The Goonies, Tequila Sunrise, Hope Floats, Random Hearts, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Mulholland Falls, and The Firm. He composed the original opening fanfare for film studio TriStar Pictures.
Grusin composed theme music for the TV programs Good Morning World (1967), It Takes a Thief (1968), The Name of the Game (1968), Dan August (1970), The Sandy Duncan Show (1971–72), Maude (1972), Good Times (1974), Baretta (1975), St. Elsewhere (1982), and, for Televisa in Mexico, Tres Generaciones (1987). He composed music for individual episodes of each of those shows. Grusin's other TV credits include The Wild Wild West (1966), The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966), and (1968). He composed and performed the 1984-1991 theme music for One Life to Live (1968). Grusin wrote the music for the This Is America, Charlie Brown episode "The Smithsonian and the Presidency", and two of the cues from the episode "History Lesson" and "Breadline Blues" (the latter covered by Kenny G) appear on the tribute album Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown. "History Lesson" also appears in the Amiga CDTV version of Snoopy: The Cool Computer Game.
In 1994, GRP was in charge of MCA's jazz operations. Founders Grusin and Rosen left in the following year and were replaced by Tommy LiPuma. In 1997, Grusin and Rosen founded N2K Encoded Music, which was renamed N-Coded Music.
Grusin received honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music in 1988 and University of Colorado, College of Music in 1989. He was initiated into the Beta Chi chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia at the University of Colorado in 1991.
With the Brothers Johnson
With Tom Browne
With Don Grusin
With Quincy Jones
With John Klemmer
With Earl Klugh
With Jon Lucien
With Harvey Mason
With Carmen McRae
With Sergio Mendes
With Gerry Mulligan
With Lee Ritenour
With Diane Schuur
With James Taylor
With Dave Valentin
With Sarah Vaughan
With Sadao Watanabe
With others
Personal life
Grusin has been married to Nan Newton for many years and they have three adult sons: Scott, Michael, and Stuart. He is also the stepfather of Nan's adult daughter, Annie Vought. Grusin is the subject of a 2018 feature-length documentary, “Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time.”
Awards and honors
Over a 15-year period from 1979–1994, Grusin won an Academy Awards, and received seven more nominations. He has been nominated for 38 Grammy Awards and won 10.
Academy Awards
Dates given are those of the relevant Awards ceremony, not when the films were released.
Grammy Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Other
Discography
As leader
As sideman
With Patti Austin
Filmography
Columbia Pictures Paramount Pictures Embassy Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Universal Pictures United Artists Warner Bros. ABC Pictures Universal Pictures Universal Pictures United Artists Cinema Center Films Columbia Pictures Universal Pictures Television film Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Universal Pictures United Artists Television film Paramount Pictures Television film 20th Century Fox Universal Pictures Warner Bros. 20th Century Fox Paramount Pictures Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Score Nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Score Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures 20th Century Fox Nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Score Paramount Pictures Columbia Pictures 20th Century Fox Paramount Pictures Warner Bros. Paramount Pictures United Artists Warner Bros. 20th Century Fox With Bahjawa and Paul Williams Winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Score Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Score Nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Score Warner Bros. 20th Century Fox Nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Score Universal Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Warner Bros. Television film 20th Century Fox Columbia Pictures Television film Yari Film Group Television film Television film Well Go USA Entertainment
Notes
External links
Categories: 1934 Births, Living People, 20th-century American Composers, 20th-century American Conductors, 20th-century American Jews, 20th-century American Male Musicians, 20th-century American Pianists, 21st-century American Composers, 21st-century American Conductors, 21st-century American Jews, 21st-century American Male Musicians, 21st-century American Pianists, American Film Score Composers, American Jazz Pianists, American Male Conductors, American Male Film Score Composers, American Male Jazz Pianists, American Male Songwriters, American Male Television Composers, American Music Arrangers, American People Of Latvian Descent, American Television Composers, Best Original Music Score Academy Award Winners, Epic Records Artists, Grammy Award Winners, Grp All-star Big Band Members, Grp Records Artists, Jazz Musicians From Colorado, Jewish American Film Score Composers, American Jazz Composers, Jewish American Composers, Jewish Jazz Musicians, Jewish American Television Composers, People From Littleton, Colorado, Smooth Jazz Pianists, Songwriters From Colorado, University Of Colorado Boulder Alumni
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