Grady Tate

Grady Tate (January 14, 1932 – October 8, 2017) was an American jazz and soul-jazz drummer and baritone vocalist. In addition to his work as sideman, Tate released many albums as leader and lent his voice to songs in the animated Schoolhouse Rock! series. He received two Grammy nominations.

Biography
Tate was born in Hayti, Durham, North Carolina, United States. In 1963 he moved to New York City, where he became the drummer in Quincy Jones's band.

Grady Tate's drumming helped to define a particular hard bop, soul jazz and organ trio sound during the mid-1960s and beyond. His slick, layered and intense sound is instantly recognizable for its understated style in which he integrates his trademark subtle nuances with sharp, crisp "on top of the beat" timing (in comparison to playing slightly before, or slightly after the beat). The Grady Tate sound can be heard prominently on many of the classic Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery albums recorded on the Verve label in the 1960s.

During the 1970s, Tate was a member of the New York Jazz Quartet. In 1981, he played drums and percussion for Simon and Garfunkel's Concert in Central Park.

As a sideman, Tate played with musicians including Jimmy Smith, Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Quincy Jones, Stan Getz, Cal Tjader, Wes Montgomery, Eddie Harris, J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding and Michel Legrand.

Among his most widely heard vocal performances are the songs "I Got Six", "Naughty Number Nine", and "Fireworks" from Multiplication Rock and America Rock, both part of the Schoolhouse Rock series. For the 1973 motion picture Cops And Robbers, Tate sang the title song, written by Michel Legrand and Jacques Wilson. On Mark Murphy's album Living Room, Tate shares the vocals on a medley of "Misty" and "Midnight Sun". On the album Threesome, with Monty Alexander and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Tate sings words to Miles Davis's composition "All Blues", aggregated from a number of well-known and standard blues songs as well as to the jazz standard "Weaver of Dreams" (written by Victor Young).

He joined the faculty of Howard University in 1989.

Grady Tate died of complications of Alzheimer's disease on October 8, 2017, at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife Vivian and son Grady, Jr.

As leader

 * Windmills of My Mind (Skye, 1968)
 * Slaves [O.S.T.] (Skye, 1969)
 * Feeling Life (Skye, 1969)
 * After the Long Drive Home (Skye, 1970)
 * She Is My Lady (Janus, 1972)
 * Movin' Day (Janus, 1974)
 * By Special Request (Buddah, 1974) compilation
 * Master Grady Tate (ABC Impulse, 1977)
 * Sings TNT (Milestone, 1991)
 * Body & Soul (Milestone, 1993)
 * Feeling Free (Pow Wow, 1999)
 * All Love (Eighty-Eight's, 2002)
 * From the Heart: Songs Sung Live at the Blue Note (Half Note, 2006)

As sideman
With Benny Bailey
 * The Satchmo Legacy (Enja, 2000)

With Ray Bryant
 * Up Above the Rock (Cadet, 1968)
 * Here's Ray Bryant (Pablo, 1976)
 * All Blues (Pablo, 1978)

With Kenny Burrell
 * 1965: Guitar Forms (Verve)
 * 1967: A Generation Ago Today (Verve)
 * 1968: Blues – The Common Ground (Verve)

With Johnny Hodges
 * 1965: Joe's Blues (Verve) with Wild Bill Davis
 * 1966: Blue Notes (Verve)
 * 1967: Don't Sleep in the Subway (Verve)
 * 1970: 3 Shades of Blue (Flying Dutchman)

With J. J. Johnson
 * 1964: J.J.! (RCA Victor)
 * 1965: Broadway Express (RCA Victor)
 * 1966: The Total J.J. Johnson (RCA Victor)
 * 1968: Israel (A&M/CTI)
 * 1969: Stonebone (A&M/CTI [Japan])

With Quincy Jones
 * 1964: Golden Boy (Mercury)
 * 1969: Walking in Space (A&M/CTI)
 * 1970: Gula Matari (A&M/CTI)
 * 1971: Smackwater Jack (A&M/CTI)
 * 1972: The Hot Rock OST (Prophesy)
 * 1973: You've Got It Bad Girl (A&M)

With Oliver Nelson
 * 1964: More Blues and the Abstract Truth (Impulse!)
 * 1966: Encyclopedia of Jazz (Verve)
 * 1966: Happenings (Impulse!)
 * 1966: Oliver Nelson Plays Michelle (Impulse!)
 * 1966: Sound Pieces (Impulse!)
 * 1966: The Sound of Feeling (Verve)
 * 1967: The Kennedy Dream (Impulse!)
 * 1967: The Spirit of '67 (Impulse!)

With Houston Person With Jimmy Rushing With Lalo Schifrin With Zoot Sims With Jimmy Smith
 * 1972: Broken Windows, Empty Hallways (Prestige)
 * 1972: Sweet Buns & Barbeque (Prestige)
 * 1976: The Big Horn (Muse)
 * 1977: The Nearness of You (Muse)
 * 1987: The Talk of the Town (Muse)
 * 1990: Just Friends (Muse, [rel. 1992]) with Buddy Tate, Nat Simpkins
 * 1994: Christmas with Houston Person and Friends (Muse)
 * 1999: Soft Lights (HighNote)
 * 2001: Blue Velvet (HighNote)
 * 2002: Sentimental Journey (HighNote)
 * Every Day I Have the Blues (BluesWay, 1967)
 * 1964: New Fantasy (Verve)
 * 1965: Once a Thief and Other Themes (Verve)
 * 1992: Jazz Meets the Symphony (Atlantic)
 * 1993: More Jazz Meets the Symphony (Atlantic)
 * 1995: Firebird: Jazz Meets the Symphony No. 3 (Four Winds)
 * Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers (Pablo, 1975)
 * Soprano Sax (Pablo, 1976)
 * 1964: The Cat (Verve)
 * 1965: Monster (Verve)
 * 1965: Organ Grinder Swing (Verve)
 * 1966: Got My Mojo Workin' (Verve)
 * 1966: Hoochie Coochie Man (Verve)
 * 1986: Go for Whatcha Know (Blue Note)
 * 1990: Fourmost (Recorded Live at Fat Tuesday's NYC) (Milestone)
 * 2001: Fourmost Return (Milestone)

With Billy Taylor
 * 1968: I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (Tower)
 * 1969: Sleeping Bee (MPS)
 * 1977: Live at Storyville (West 54)

With Cal Tjader
 * 1964: Soul Sauce (Verve)
 * 1965: Soul Bird: Whiffenpoof (Verve)
 * 1966: Soul Burst (Verve)
 * 1967: Along Comes Cal (Verve)
 * 1968: Solar Heat (Skye)

With others
 * 1962: Charles Mingus, The Complete Town Hall Concert (Blue Note)
 * 1963: Gary McFarland, The In Sound (Verve)
 * 1964: Ben Webster, See You at the Fair (Impulse!)
 * 1964: Budd Johnson, Off the Wall (Argo)
 * 1964: Lou Donaldson, Rough House Blues (Argo)
 * 1964: Nat Adderley, Autobiography (Atlantic)
 * 1965: Dave Pike, Jazz for the Jet Set (Atlantic)
 * 1965: Dorothy Ashby, The Fantastic Jazz Harp of Dorothy Ashby (Atlantic)
 * 1965: Gary McFarland & Clark Terry, Tijuana Jazz (Impulse!)
 * 1965: Illinois Jacquet, Spectrum (Argo)
 * 1965: Kai Winding, Rainy Day (Verve)
 * 1965: Milt Jackson, Ray Brown / Milt Jackson (Verve)
 * 1965: Roland Kirk & Al Hibbler, A Meeting of the Times (Atlantic)
 * 1965: Stanley Turrentine, Joyride (Blue Note)
 * 1966: Bill Evans, Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra (Verve)
 * 1966: Clark Terry, Mumbles (Mainstream)
 * 1966: Eric Kloss, Love and All That Jazz (Prestige)
 * 1966: Gabor Szabo, Gypsy '66 (Impulse!)
 * 1966: Jimmy McGriff, The Big Band (Solid State)
 * 1966: Kai Winding, More Brass, Dirty Dog (Verve)
 * 1966: Shirley Scott, Roll 'Em: Shirley Scott Plays the Big Bands (Impulse!)
 * 1967: Herbie Mann, Glory of Love (A&M/CTI)
 * 1967: Kai Winding, Penny Lane & Time (Verve)
 * 1967: Stan Getz, Sweet Rain (Verve)
 * 1967: Jerome Richardson, Groove Merchant (Verve)
 * 1968: Peggy Lee, 2 Shows Nightly (Capitol)
 * 1968: Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Love Calls (RCA Victor)
 * 1968: Eddie Harris, Plug Me In (Atlantic)
 * 1968: Hubert Laws, Laws' Cause (Atlantic)
 * 1968: Jimmy McGriff, The Worm (Solid State)
 * 1968: Johnny Hammond Smith, Nasty! (Prestige)
 * 1968: Milt Jackson, Milt Jackson and the Hip String Quartet (Verve)
 * 1968: Nat Adderley, You, Baby (A&M/CTI),
 * 1968: Roy Ayers, Stoned Soul Picnic (Atlantic)
 * 1968: Stan Getz, What the World Needs Now: Stan Getz Plays Burt Bacharach and Hal David (Verve)
 * 1969: Freddie Hubbard, A Soul Experiment (Atlantic)
 * 1969: Hubert Laws, Crying Song (CTI)
 * 1969: Lena Horne & Gabor Szabo, Lena & Gabor (Skye)
 * 1969: Aretha Franklin, Soul '69 (Atlantic)
 * 1969: Pearls Before Swine, These Things Too (Reprise)
 * 1969: Phil Woods, Round Trip (Verve)
 * 1969: Ron Carter, Uptown Conversation (Embryo)
 * 1969: Peggy Lee, A Natural Woman (Capitol)
 * 1971: Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Hackett & Mary Lou Williams, Giants (Perception),
 * 1971: Pearls Before Swine, Beautiful Lies You Could Live In (Reprise)
 * 1971: Roberta Flack, Quiet Fire (Atlantic)
 * 1972: Eric Kaz, If You're Lonely (Atlantic)
 * 1972: Grant Green, The Final Comedown (Blue Note)
 * 1972: Boogaloo Joe Jones, Snake Rhythm Rock (Prestige)
 * 1973: Bette Midler, Bette Midler (Atlantic)
 * 1973: Leon Spencer, Where I'm Coming From (Prestige)
 * 1973: Donny Hathaway, Extension of a Man (Atco)
 * 1973: Lou Donaldson, Sophisticated Lou (Blue Note)
 * 1973: Marlena Shaw, From the Depths of My Soul (Blue Note)
 * 1973: Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin' Simon (Columbia)
 * 1973: Roberta Flack, Killing Me Softly (Atlantic)
 * 1973: Shirley Scott, Superstition (Cadet)
 * 1974: Arif Mardin, Journey (Atlantic)
 * 1974: Aretha Franklin, With Everything I Feel in Me (Atlantic)
 * 1974: Gato Barbieri, Chapter Three: Viva Emiliano Zapata (Impulse!)
 * 1974: Jack McDuff, The Fourth Dimension (Cadet)
 * 1975: Jack McDuff, Magnetic Feel (Cadet)
 * 1975: Hank Jones, Hanky Panky (East Wind)
 * 1975: Paul Simon, Still Crazy After All These Years (Columbia)
 * 1976: Etta Jones, Ms. Jones to You (Muse)
 * 1976: Phoebe Snow, Second Childhood (Columbia)
 * 1976: Benny Carter, Wonderland (Pablo)
 * 1977: Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Dancer with Bruised Knees (Warner Bros.)
 * 1977: Phoebe Snow, Never Letting Go (Columbia)
 * 1978: Clifford Jordan, The Adventurer (Muse)
 * 1978: New York Jazz Quartet, Blues for Sarka (Enja)
 * 1979: Charles Earland, Infant Eyes (Muse)
 * 1980: Sarah Vaughan, The Duke Ellington Songbook, Vol. 1 (Pablo Today)
 * 1980: Sarah Vaughan, The Duke Ellington Songbook, Vol. 2 (Pablo Today)
 * 1981: Charles Earland, Pleasant Afternoon (Muse)
 * 1981: Carly Simon, Torch (Warner Bros.)
 * 1981: Grover Washington Jr. Come Morning (Elektra)
 * 1982: Red Rodney, The 3R's (Muse)
 * 1982: Simon & Garfunkel, The Concert in Central Park (Warner Bros.)
 * 1983: Michel Legrand, After the Rain
 * 1983: Sadao Watanabe, Fill Up the Night
 * 1983: Willis Jackson, Nothing Butt... (Muse)
 * 1986: Mark Murphy, Living Room
 * 1988: Peggy Lee, Miss Peggy Lee Sings the Blues (Capitol)
 * 1989: Maureen McGovern, Naughty Baby
 * 1990: Bette Midler, Some People's Lives (Atlantic)
 * 1990: Dizzy Gillespie, The Winter in Lisbon (Milan)
 * 1990: Peter Allen, Making Every Moment Count (RCA)
 * 1991: Bob Thiele Collective, Louis Satchmo
 * 1992: John Hicks, Friends Old and New (Novus/RCA/BMG)
 * 1993: Andre Previn, What Headphones? (Angel)
 * 1993: Frank Morgan, Listen to the Dawn (Antilles, [1994])
 * 1993: Stanley Turrentine, If I Could (MusicMasters Jazz)
 * 1993: Peggy Lee, Love Held Lightly: Rare Songs by Harold Arlen
 * 1994: Oscar Peterson & Itzhak Perlman, Side by Side (Telarc)
 * 1995: Andre Previn, Andre Previn and Friends Play 'Show Boat'  (Deutsche Grammophon)
 * 2003: Aaron Neville, Nature Boy (The Standards Album) (Verve Records)
 * 2003: Mark Murphy, Memories of You: Remembering Joe Williams (HighNote)
 * 2007: Kenny Barron, The Traveler (Sunnyside)