Bobby Troup
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Bobby Troup (October 18, 1918 - February 7, 1999) was an American actor, jazz pianist and songwriter. He is best known for writing the popular standard "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66", and for his role as Dr. Joe Early in the 1970s US TV series Emergency!.
Life and music
Bobby Troup was born Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA. He graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His earliest musical success came with the song Daddy which was a regional hit in 1941. He served as a Captain in the US Marines during World War II. His first marriage was to Cynthia Troup. Troup's light and humorous musical style was similar to that of the Nat King Cole Trio. In the 1940s Cole had a hit with Troup's best known song "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" which became a popular standard and, in the 1960s, one of the earliest recordings by the British rock group The Rolling Stones.
Troup produced torch singer Julie London's million selling hit record "Cry Me A River" in 1955 and they married five years later, following London's divorce from actor Jack Webb, then directing and starring in the now-classic Dragnet TV show.
Bobby Troup was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (σαε) fraternity.
Troup's own recordings in the 1950's and 60's were not commercially successful. Nonetheless, he made some excellent recordings for Liberty Records and Capitol Records, many with musicians that included the best of the West Coast school of jazz.
Acting
While he relied on songwriting royalties, he also worked as an actor, playing musician Tommy Dorsey in the film The Gene Krupa Story (1959). Later he had a cameo as a disgruntled sergeant in Robert Altman's 1970 film M*A*S*H (His only line of dialogue is a repeated exasperation, "Goddamn army!" later modified to "Goddamn army jeep!") before starring with London in the US TV series Emergency! beginning in 1972.Ironically, Emergency! was created by Webb, who had recently starred in a revival of Dragnet and was producing NBC's popular Adam-12. London and Troup, however, had remained on cordial terms with Webb, who had used Troup (and his daughter Ronny) in episodes of Adam-12 and the revived Dragnet. In the role of Dr. Joe Early, Troup projected a relaxed, amiability that brought humor to the show and contrasted with the intensity of actor Robert Fuller in the role of Dr. Kelly Brackett.
Troup also wrote the title song (sung by Little Richard) in the classic 1950s rock and roll movie The Girl Can't Help It. An instrumental rendition of his song "The Meaning of the Blues" appeared on the landmark Miles Davis album, Miles Ahead. Troups hipster interpretion of the fairy tale "The Three Bears" is often erroneously credited to "anonymous" and re-titled "Three Bears Rap", "Three Bears with a beat" etc. This song was first recorded by the Page Cavanaugh Trio and later by Western Swing bandleader Leon McAuliffe.
Selected songs
- "Daddy", 1941
- "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66", 1946
- "The Girl Can't Help It", Little Richard
- "Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring", The Four Freshmen, The Beach Boys
- "The Meaning Of The Blues", Miles Davis
- "The Three Bears"
- "Lemon Twist"
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