Bob Cranshaw

Biography

Melbourne Robert Cranshaw (December 10, 1932 – November 2, 2016) was an American jazz bassist. His career spanned the heyday of Blue Note Records as a house bassist. He is known for his long association with Sonny Rollins, starting with a live appearance at the 1959 Playboy jazz festival in Chicago and Rollins's 1962 album The Bridge.
Cranshaw died at the age of 83 on November 2, 2016, in Manhattan, New York, of cancer.

Early life

Cranshaw was born Dec. 10, 1932 in Evanston, Illinois. His parents were of Madagascan and Native American descent. His father, Stanley Irvine Cranshaw, was a jazz drummer from Kansas City who moved to Evanston and worked as an electrician. Bob's brother Stanley Jr. became a jazz pianist. Their adopted brother Emanuel became a vibraphonist.

Career

In a 2016 interview with The New York Times, Rollins called Cranshaw "impeccable" and said that he "played with probably every musician in New York." In addition to five decades of collaboration with Rollins, Cranshaw contributed to Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder and Joe Henderson’s Inner Urge.
Cranshaw performed with Wes Montgomery, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Thelonious Monk, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, Buddy Rich, George Shearing, Joe Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, and Oscar Peterson. He also collaborated with musicians outside of jazz, including Paul Simon, Barry Manilow, Eddie Kendricks, Judy Collins, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Dolly Parton, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, and Debbie Gibson.
Cranshaw had an extensive career in television. He was a member of the first band for Saturday Night Live, and the bands backing the broadcasts of Dick Cavett and Merv Griffin. Cranshaw played for three decades with Joe Raposo composing music for Sesame Street.
He was an active supporter of the Jazz Foundation of America and the American Federation of Musicians.