October 2008
Remembering Bob Grabeau (1928-2008)

Baritone Bob Grabeau, whose notable renditions of Tiomkin songs include “Thee I Love” from Friendly Persuasion and “There’s Never Been Anyone Else But You” from Giant, died June 8, 2008, in Los Angeles, California. Signed by Capitol Records in Hollywood at age 19, he recorded a number of songs for radio before joining up with bandleader Jan Garber. The vocalist made his mark recording demonstration records—used to promote and showcase new songs—for film composers from Elmer Bernstein to Dimitri Tiomkin. Grabeau demoed a number of Tiomkin tunes, including the 1961 holiday song “Give Me Your Love for Christmas.” “The songwriters felt fortunate to have such a wonderful voice be the first to record their work,” recalls Olivia Tiomkin Douglas. “Dimitri thought that Bob was a lovely person with an exceptional voice and that he deserved more recognition for his musical talent.”

Born Robert Frank Grabot, Grabeau also has been credited as Bob Graybo. He was a featured vocalist on re-creations of Tommy Dorsey’s music for the popular Time/Life musical eras series of the 1970s, memorable for their brightly colored boxes of multiple LPs. Thanks to the success of that series, Grabeau spent much of the 1980s and 1990s performing swing-era music by Dorsey and Glenn Miller, often with bandleader Tommy King. Grabeau spent his final years at the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, California.

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