Jazz singer worked with Davis

Robert (Bob) Dorough, whose career began as a composer, arranger and singer in the booming New York jazz scene of the 1950s and ’60s before he became the musical keystone of Schoolhouse Rock!, died April 23 in Mt. Bethel, Penn. His wife, Sally Shanley Dorough, confirmed his death to NPR. He was 94. Born Dec. 12, 1923, in Cherry Hill, Ark., and raised in Texas, Dorough was a composer, arranger and player in the U.S. army between 1943 and ’45, before getting a bachelor of music degree from the University of North Texas. He released his debut album, Devil May Care, in 1956 and later collaborated with Miles Davis on the cynical holiday song Blue Xmas. He set the multiplication tables to music for the children of his boss at his ad agency day job, which led to a job as composer/arranger for the ABC series Schoolhouse Rock!