American musician
Musical artist
Murray Grand (August 27, 1919 – March 7, 2007) was an American singer, songwriter, lyricist, and pianist best known for the song "Guess Who I Saw Today ".[ 1]
Born in Philadelphia , Grand played piano as a teenager. During World War II, he served as an infantryman in U.S. Army and played piano accompaniment for USO Tour stars including Gypsy Rose Lee and Betty Grable .[ 1] After the war, Grand studied piano and composition at the Juilliard School and worked as a cabaret performer in New York City.[ 1]
In 1952, he wrote “Guess Who I Saw Today” (with lyrics by Elisse Boyd ) for the Broadway musical revue New Faces of 1952 .[ 1] [ 2] The song has been recorded by Nancy Wilson , Carmen McRae , Sarah Vaughan , and Eydie Gorme .[ 3]
Grand's songs have been recorded by Peggy Lee , Eartha Kitt , Paula West , Blossom Dearie , Toni Tennille , Eydie Gorme , and Michael Feinstein .
Grand appeared in two Paul Mazursky films: The Tempest and Moscow on the Hudson .
In his later years Grand lived for a time in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he ran a pet food business and continued to perform. He died of emphysema in Santa Monica, California in 2007.[ 4]
Songs
Songs written or co-written by Grand include:
"Guess Who I Saw Today" (written with Elisse Boyd)
"Casino Royale (dedicated to Ian Fleming )
"Chicken Song" (from the musical The Chicken Inspector )
"Gore Galore"
"I Was Beautiful"
"Love At An Auction"
"Morris Was Nice"
"Rouge"
"The Spider And The Fly"
"Hurry"
"April in Fairbanks"[ 1]
"Boozers and Losers" (written with Cy Coleman )
"Thursday's Child" (written with Elisse Boyd)[ 1]
"Too Old to Die Young"
"I Always Say Hello to a Flower"
"Everything You Want"
"Come By Sunday"
"I'd Rather Cha-Cha Than Eat"
"Comment Allez-Vous"
"Not a Moment Too Soon"
References
^ a b c d e f "Murray Grand, 87, Relic of Cabaret Scene". The New York Sun , March 12, 2007
^ "NYFOS Salutes Mezzo-Sopranos in its Glorious Virtual Spring Gala" . www.qonstage.com . Retrieved September 26, 2024 .
^ Variety Staff (March 27, 2007). "Murray Grand, 87, composer" . Variety . Retrieved February 22, 2024 .
^ Archives, L. A. Times (March 14, 2007). "Murray Grand, 87; prolific tunesmith of Broadway, clubs" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 22, 2024 .
External links
International National Artists Other