(CelebrityAccess) Bob Dorough, 94, the man responsible for many of the “Schoolhouse Rock” songs including “Conjunction Junction” and “Three Is A Magic Number,” died in Mt. Bethel, Pa., according to a spokesman.
Dorough was a longtime conductor, arranger and accompanying player who worked with artists like Miles Davis in the 1950s and Nellie McKay in the 2000s. He wrote or co-wrote jazz notables like “Devil May Care,” “Nothing Like You” and “Blue Xmas,” the last two making him one of only a handful of vocalists on a Miles Davis recording.
His biggest contribution, though, was probably to America’s popular culture with the songs he wrote for both “Schoolhouse Rock” and “Grammar Rock,” notably the iconic song “Conjunction Junction.” He was also the band leader for the “Multiplication Rock” series, writing “Zero, My Hero.”
Schoolhouse Rock debuted Jan. 6, 1973, with four songs written by Dorough: “Three Is A Magic Number,” “My Hero, Zero,” “Two Elementary, My Dear” and “The Four-Legged Zoo.”
“Three Is A Magic Number” was covered by Blind Melon.
During its tenure, the Schoolhouse Rock series won four Emmys for Outstanding Children’s Programming, according to Yahoo News.
“Bob Dorough was a giant talent who made so many of us so happy as kids with Schoolhouse Rock,” tweeted screenwriter Judd Apatow. “Listen to Three Is A Magic Number and try to not get emotional. He sang and wrote it along with all the math ones and others too. He worked with Miles Davis and Lenny Bruce. Amazing!”
Bob Dorough was a giant talent who made so many of us so happy as kids with Schoolhouse Rock. Listen to Three Is A Magic Number and try to not get emotional. He sang and wrote it along with all the math ones and others too. He worked with Miles Davis and Lenny Bruce. Amazing! https://t.co/Ba0o5QZBrv
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) April 24, 2018
