Bob Dorough Receives Posthumous Designation as an NEA Jazz Master

One year after his death at age 94, the federal government is paying its respects to composer/pianist/vocalist Bob Dorough, who will be honored posthumously as one of four 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters. Additionally, the Library of Congress on March 20 announced the inclusion of “Schoolhouse Rock! The Box Set” from 1996 in the 2018 class of its National Recording Registry. Dorough composed the songs set to animation that became a staple of the ABC network’s children’s programming in the 1970s and ’80s. Dorough became known most widely for “Schoolhouse Rock!” although he was primarily a jazz musician from the ’40s until his April 23, 2018 death/

Dorough had learned about his 2019 honor just before his passing. the designation NEA Jazz Master is the nation’s highest honor in jazz; the lifetime recognition has been awarded to 153 people since 1982. Joining them in this year’s class, along with Dorough, are Stanley Crouch, Abdullah Ibrahim and Maria Schneider.

The four were honored during an NPR radio listening party on Sunday, April 14, which was followed by a live-streamed concert from the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC on Monday, April 15. An archive of the webcast is available arts.gov.