Dave Grusin

Robert David Grusin was born on June 26, 1934, in Littleton, Colorado. His parents, Henri and Rosabelle Grusin, were both musically inclined, with his father being a violinist of Jewish ancestry from Latvia and his mother a pianist. Grusin pursued his musical education at the University of Colorado at Boulder, graduating in 1956. His early studies included instruction from Cecil Effinger and Wayne Scott, who mentored him in piano, arranging, and jazz.

Grusin’s career began to take shape in the early 1960s. He produced his first single, “Subways Are for Sleeping,” in 1962, and soon ventured into film scoring with “Divorce American Style” in 1967. This was followed by notable works such as “The Graduate” (1967) and “Winning” (1969). His reputation as a versatile composer grew as he continued to score films like “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” (1973), “The Midnight Man” (1974), and “Three Days of the Condor” (1975). A significant career move occurred in 1978 when Grusin co-founded GRP Records with Larry Rosen, pioneering early commercial digital recordings. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he garnered multiple Academy Award nominations, winning Best Original Score for “The Milagro Beanfield War” in 1989. He also composed the musical signatures for TriStar Pictures (1984) and Columbia Pictures Television (1993).

Beyond film, Grusin made substantial contributions to television and jazz. He composed theme music for popular TV programs including “Maude” (1972), “Good Times” (1974), and “St. Elsewhere” (1982). Collaborations with jazz artists like Lee Ritenour resulted in Grammy-winning albums such as “Harlequin” (1985). By the mid-1990s, after leaving GRP Records, he co-founded N2K Encoded Music (later N-Coded Music) with Larry Rosen in 1997. Grusin has received numerous accolades during his career, including 10 Grammy Awards and an Oscar, solidifying his status as a prominent figure in the music industry.