Name Rodgers Grant | Role Composer | |
Died April 12, 2012, Defiance, Ohio, United States Similar People Laurdine Patrick, Jon Hendricks, Steve Berrios, Georgie Fame and the Blue, Mongo Santamaria | ||
Rodgers Grant (January 18, 1936 – April 12, 2012) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and lyricist. After having worked with saxophonist Hugo Dickens in the 1950s, he became pianist for Mongo Santamaría in the 1960s. In 1963, Grant wrote the hit, "Yeh! Yeh!" in collaboration with Pat Patrick. Jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks added original lyrics and recorded the song with Lambert and Bavan at the Newport Jazz Festival of 1963. It became an international hit as recorded by Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames in 1965.
His instrumental works have been recorded by Santamaria, Hubert Laws, Johnny Coles, Frank Wess, Tom Harrell, Vincentico Valdez, Poncho Sanchez, Richard "Groove" Holmes, James Spaulding, Sonny Fortune, T.S. Monk, Karrin Allyson, Gene Harris, Jody Christian, Angela DeNiro, Stan Getz, Ralph Moore, Ray Bloch on The Ed Sullivan Show.
He composed the title track on Hubert Laws's Grammy-nominated album Morning Star (1973). Esther Phillips along with Oliver Nelson recorded his lyrical contribution to "Just Say Goodbye."
He continued to create original vocal and instrumental jazz material. Most recently, trombonist and vocalist Scott Whitfield recorded two of Grant's compositions on Scott Whitfield Jazz Orchestra East - Live at Birdland (2004).
Grant died on April 12, 2012 at the age of 76 in Defiance, Ohio after suffering from several types of cancer. He is survived by his wife, Louise, a son, a daughter, a stepson, and four stepdaughters.