Song:The End
Album:The Best of Earl Grant: Singin' and Swingin'
Earl Grant had his biggest chart success with the 1958 top ten hit The End. If you think he sounds like Nat King Cole, that was not an accident. He would go on to record instrumental albums on the Hammond organ in the 60s before his tragic death in a 1970 car accident. He was born Jan. 20, 1931 in Idabel, OK. He studied piano at USC and DePaul. He was drafted into the US Army during the Korean War and played clubs when he was stationed in Fort Bliss, TX. Grant signed with Decca Records in 1957. They were looking for their version of Nat King Cole. Grant sounds so much like Cole singing The End that folks thought he was Cole's brother. Grant looked at the recording as a tribute to Cole. It reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. The End was written by Sid Jacobson and Jimmy Krondes. Jacobson worked as a writer at Harvey Comics but he hung around New York's song factory The Brill Building and wrote a few songs with Krondes. The End was their biggest hit. Jacobson has had a long career in the comics industry. Grant appeared in the 1959 film Juke Box Rhythm and the 1962 film Tender Is The Night. And he performed the theme for the 1959 film Imitation Of Life. In the 60s, Grant recorded mostly as an instrumental artist on the Hammond organ. His 1961 album Ebb Tide was a big seller. The music was easy listening as opposed to jazz. That kind of music didn't usually chart but the albums sold well to an older audience. Grant recorded 30 albums of this kind of music for Decca through the 60s. This comp is a good intro to his music. Earl Grant was driving to a show in Juarez, Mexico when his car ran off a curve on Interstate 10 in New Mexico. Grant and his 17 year old cousin were killed instantly. Grant died on June 10, 1970 at age 39. Here's a video for The End by Earl Grant.
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