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Biography
Refimprove|date=October 2010POV|date=November 2008Infobox musical artist| name = Bobby Troup| image =Julie London Bobby Troup Emergency 1971.JPG| caption = Troup as Dr. Joe Early on 1970s television show, Emergency! (with wife Julie London , in the role of nurse Dixie McCall)| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Robert Wesley Troup, Jr.| alias =| birth_date = birth date|1918|10|18|mf=y| birth_place = Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , United States|U.S. | death_date = death date and age|1999|02|07|1918|10|18| death_place = Los Angeles , California , United States|U.S. | origin =| instrument = Piano | genre = Jazz | occupation = Composer/Songwriter/Musician, Actor,| years_active = 1941–95| label =| associated_acts =| website =| notable_instruments = Robert William "Bobby" Troup Jr. (October 18, 1918 - February 7, 1999) was an American actor , jazz pianist and songwriter . He is best known for writing the popular standard " Route 66 (song)|(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 ", and for his role as Dr. List of Emergency& #33; characters#Joe Early|Joe Early , the more calm, yet dedicated doctor of Julie London 's and Robert Fuller (actor)|Robert Fuller 's characters, in the 1970s US Television program#Seasons/series|TV series , Emergency!
Life and music
Bobby Troup was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania . He graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania . Bobby Troup was a member of the SigmaAlpha Epsilon (S??) fraternity and the Mask and Wig Club.
His earliest musical success came with the song "Daddy" which was a regional hit in 1941. Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra recorded "Daddy", which was no.1 for 8 weeks on the Billboard Best Seller chart and the no.5 record of 1941. Glenn Miller and His Orchestra performed "Daddy" on their radio broadcasts, and The Andrews Sisters also recorded the song. In the same year, Troup's song "Snootie Little Cutie" was recorded by Frank Sinatra and Connie Haines with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Pied Pipers. He served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps|US Marines during World War II . He was the first white officer to be given command of an all black unit in Jacksonville, North Carolina , where the men were living in tents. Troup's Marines built Quonset hut s, new latrines, a nightclub, a boxing ring, a basketball court and formed a basketball team, a jazz band, an orchestra, and had installed a miniature golf course for his men. Soon, white Marines of other units began spending time in that part of camp.Citation needed|date=October 2007 Bobby Troup's first marriage was to Cynthia Hare. They had two daughters.
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 hit for Cole and then a popular standard (recorded by many artists including Chuck Berry (1961), The Rolling Stones (1964). In 1987, Depeche Mode combined the tune with their own composition, "Behind the Wheel", released it as the B-side of " Behind the Wheel " and it became a radio hit on KROQ-FM|KROQ 106.7 FM in Los Angeles. In 2006, "Route 66" was featured in the animated movie Cars (film)|Cars , and the movie RV (film)|RV with Robin Williams.
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 (series)|Dragnet TV show.
Troup's own recordings in the 1950s and 1960s were not commercially successful. He made recordings for Liberty Records and Capitol Records , many with musicians from the West Coast jazz scene.
In February 1999, Troup died at UCLA Medical Center of a massive heart attack, he was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills. His wife, Julie London died the following year, and her cremated remains were placed in the columbarium (Columbarium of Providence) niche, next to his. Coincidentally, their former TV producer boss (and London's former husband) Jack Webb (who died in 1982) is buried in the same cemetery.
Television and movies
In the mid-1950s, Troup was one of three regular panelists (along with Mel Blanc and Johnny Mercer ) in the game show Musical Chairs (1955 TV series)|Musical Chairs , a Bill Leyden -hosted quiz program that aired locally on Los Angeles television for two years before NBC broadcast it in the summer of 1955. On the program, the viewing audience was encouraged to submit questions about music in an effort to stump the panel. The Troup Group provided much of the music in the game show. He also served as host of the ABC show " Stars of Jazz " featuring various jazz luminaries, particularly those working in Hollywood.
The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song (1992) includes a version of the title song for 1965's That Darn Cat& #33; (1965 film)|That Darn Cat! recorded by Bobby Troup; in the film, it was performed by Bobby Darin .
While he relied on songwriting royalties, Troup also worked as an actor, playing musician Tommy Dorsey in the film The Gene Krupa Story (1959). He played himself in the short-lived NBC television series Acapulco (TV series)|Acapulco . Later he had a memorable Cameo appearance|cameo as a disgruntled staff sergeant assigned to driving Hawkeye and Trapper John around in Japan in Robert Altman 's 1970 masterpiece M*A*S*H (movie)|M*A*S*H . (His only line of dialogue is a repeated exasperation, "Goddamn army!", later modified to "Goddamn army jeep!"). In 1972, Jack Webb , who had previously used Troup in a 1967 episode of the television series Dragnet (TV series)|Dragnet , cast him opposite Webb's ex-wife Julie London in the US TV series Emergency! . Later he made a cameo on " The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries " Singing at the piano.
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 had remained on cordial terms with Webb, who had used Troup (and his daughter Ronny) in episodes of Adam-12 as well as 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 (actor)|Robert Fuller in the role of Dr. Kelly Brackett.
Troup also wrote the The Girl Can't Help It (song)|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 ''. Troup's Hipster (1940s subculture)|hipster interpretation 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 .
Circa 1969 Troup collaborated with entertainer Tommy Leonetti , penning the lyrics for Leonetti's song " My City of Sydney ". http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2922337 National Library of Australia Leonetti's original recording was used for many years in the close-down sequence for TV station ATN -7 in Sydney , and was also covered by Sydney punk band XL Capris .
Selected compositions
"Baby, Baby, All The Time" - Nat King Cole , June Christy , Diana Krall
"Bran' New Dolly" - written and sung by Bobby Troup on RCA Victor some time between 1947–50
"Daddy" - 1941, recorded by Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra, The Andrews Sisters , The Charioteers, performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
" Girl Talk (Neal Hefti song)|Girl Talk ", lyrics by Troup, music by Neal Hefti - recorded by Tony Bennett , Ella Fitzgerald , BettyCarter
"My City of Sydney" (Troup/Leonetti) - Tommy Leonetti , XL Capris , Mary Schneider
"One October Morning"
"Out of the Shadows" - June Christy
"Please Belong To Me"
" Route 66 (song)|(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 ", 1946 - recorded by the Nat King Cole Trio , Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Perry Como , Chuck Berry , The Rolling Stones , Depeche Mode , and numerous others
1958 Bobby Troup and His Jazz All-Stars , (RCA Victor)
1959 Cool , (Interlude)
References
External links
wikiquotePortal|Biography
imdb name|id=0873757|name=Bobby Troup
Find a Grave|8597922
Jack Webb/Mark VII Limited Persondata | NAME =Troup, Bobby | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =October 18, 1918 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , United States|U.S. | DATE OF DEATH =February 7, 1999 | PLACE OF DEATH = Los Angeles , California , U.S. DEFAULTSORT:Troup, Bobby Category:1918 births Category:1999 deaths Category:American actors Category:American jazz pianists Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Musicians from Pennsylvania Category:People from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Category:U.S. Route 66 Category:Liberty Records artists
