Dave Grusin Dave Grusin

Born: 26 June 1934, Littleton, Colorado.

Biography:
Dave Grusin is one of the most highly respected jazz composers pianists working today. After studying at the the University of Colorado at Boulder, College of Music, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1956, and subsequently at the Manhattan School of Music, Grusin began his career as a pianist and arranger for singer Andy Williams. Subsequently he was the conductor for Williams’ hit TV show, which ran from 1963 to 1965, and during the 1970s, Grusin was a prolific TV composer, writing themes for shows such as “Dan August”, “The Sandy Duncan Show”, “Maude”, “Good Times” and “Baretta”. Grusin actually scored his first feature - a TV movie called "Gidget" starring Sally Field – in 1966, and wrote the score for the classic “The Graduate” in 1967, but by the end of the 1970s had turned almost solely to feature films. Grusin's music is typified by a combination soft jazz and blues melodies and sentimental piano-based love themes, a style which has endeared him to directors such as Warren Beatty and Robert Redford. His most successful titles include The Goodbye Girl" (1977), "Heaven Can Wait" (1979), "The Electric Horseman" (1979), "The Champ" (1979), "On Golden Pond" (1981), "Tootsie" (1982), "The Goonies" (1985), "Tequila Sunrise" (1988), "The Fabulous Baker Boys" (1989), "Havana" (1990), "The Firm" (1993) and "Hope Floats" (1998), many of which received Academy Award nominations; his one and only Oscar came in 1988 for director Robert Redford's "The Milagro Beanfield War”. In addition to his film work, Grusin has released many popular and hugely successful jazz albums, notably "Migration", "Homage to the Duke" and "Two For the Road". About 35 Dave CD titles are currently available including soundtracks, originals, collections, and homages to jazz greats George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and Henry Mancini.Grusin is also the co-founder and CEO of GRP Records, which he founded with Larry Rosen in 1982. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music in 1988 and University of Colorado, College of Music in 1989; he is the father of music editor Stuart Grusin, music editor and musician Scott Grusin, engineer Mike Grusin, artist Annie Vought, and elder brother of keyboardist Don Grusin and sister Dee Grusin.

Reviews:
Hope Floats and Random Hearts

Filmography:
Recount (2008), Bordertown (2006), Even Money (2005), Dinner With Friends (2001), Random Hearts (1999), Hope Floats (1998), Hope (1997), Into The Gloaming (1997), Selena (1997), Mulholland Falls (1996), The Cure (1995), The Firm (1993), For the Boys (1991), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Havana (1990), A Dry White Season (1989), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), Clara's Heart (1988), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), Tequila Sunrise (1988), Ishtar (1987), Lucas (1986), The Goonies (1985), Falling in Love (1984), The Little Drummer Girl (1984), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Racing with the Moon (1984), Scandalous (1984), Author! Author! (1982), Tootsie (1982), Absence of Malice (1981), On Golden Pond (1981), My Bodyguard (1980), Reds (1980), And Justice for All (1979), The Champ (1979), The Electric Horseman (1979), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Bobby Deerfield (1977), Fire Sale (1977), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Mr. Billion (1977), The Front (1976), Murder by Death (1976), Three Days of the Condor (1975), W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975), The Yakuza (1975), The Midnight Man (1974), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), Fuzz (1972), The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid (1972), Deadly Dream (1971), The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971), The Pursuit of Happiness (1971), Shootout (1971), The Intruders (1970), Generation (1969), The Mad Room (1969), A Man Called Gannon (1969), Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969), Winning (1969), Candy (1968), The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (1968), Divorce American Style (1967), The Graduate (1967), Prescription: Murder (1967), The Scorpio Letters (1967), Waterhole #3 (1967), Gidget (1966).

Highest Grossing Films as at end of 2007 (adjusted for inflation):
Tootsie ($376.7m), On Golden Pond ($286.1m), Heaven Can Wait ($263.8m), The Firm ($239.0m), The Goodbye Girl ($234.5m), The Electric Horseman ($153.8m), Three Days of the Condor ($126.5m), The Goonies ($108.1m), Murder By Death ($95.4m), Absence of Malice ($91.5m).

Awards:
1988 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Score - The Milagro Beanfield War
1993 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Firm
1990 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Havana
1989 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Fabulous Baker Boys
1982 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "It Might Be You" from Tootsie
1981 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - On Golden Pond
1979 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Champ
1978 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Heaven Can Wait
1991 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - For The Boys
1990 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - Havana
1989 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Fabulous Baker Boys
1988 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Milagro Beanfield War
1990 BAFTA Awards – Nominee, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – The Fabulous Baker Boys
1983 BAFTA Awards – Nominee, Best Original Song – “Tootsie” from Tootsie
1989 Grammy Awards – Winner, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – The Fabulous Baker Boys
1997 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Selena
1995 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – The Cure
1993 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – The Firm
1991 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Havana
1984 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Tootsie
1983 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television – On Golden Pond
2002 Emmy Awards – Nominee, Outstanding Music Composition for a Mini– Series, Movie, or Special – Dinner with Friends

Links:
The Dave Grusin Archive

The Bonfire of the Vanities The Champ The Cure Dinner With Friends The Fabulous Baker Boys The Firm For the Boys The Goonies The Graduate Havana The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Hope Floats Mulholland Falls Random Hearts Reds Selena Tequila Sunrise The Yakuza


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