Coogee Media

Grant was born January 20, 1933 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the son of a Baptist minister and one of twelve children. Grant began his music career at the age of four when he played the piano and organ at his father's services in his hometown of Idabel, Oklahoma. He then attended four music schools in Oklahoma and would eventually become a music teacher himself after graduating from the University of Southern California. He said that when he first started teaching at high schools, he was perturbed to find he was allocated to teaching chemistry, which he knew nothing of, but happily after about six months, he was assigned to teaching music which he did for about two years.

Performance Career
Grant's performance career began soon after he joined the United States Army in 1953. He was stationed at Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas and during his time there, played in local clubs to make extra money. Gaining popularity while in the Army, by the time he was discharged in 1957, Grant was able to become a full-time performer.

He first gained national recognition at the Pigalee Club in Los Angeles, where the management was forced to expand club facilities three times to accommodate his fans.

In 1957 Grant signed with Decca Records in Los Angeles. With Decca he produced his first single, The End, which was released in 1958. The End reached number seven on the Billboard Top 100 Chart. Grant's most popular song, Ebb Tide, was released in 1961 and gained gold-disc status as a single after it sold over one million copies.

Grant recorded another five singles that would make the Billboard Top 100 Chart. He toured Japan, Mexico, Australia, Canada, and Europe as well as across the United States. Grant recorded thirty albums with Decca Records and all up had 50 record albums to his name. He also made a few appearances on film and television and sang the theme song for the 1959 film Tender is the Night.

Sydney Nightclub Star
Grant first appeared in Australia at the Embers nightclub in Melbourne in August 1960. He then regularly played on the Sydney night club scene, on and off, from at least as early as March 1963 and as late at 1970, as far as I could discern, but it could have been a longer period - including at the Chequers Club in Goulburn Street Sydney, the Silver Spade nightclub Potts Point, Sydney and at the Stadium at Rushcutters Bay. He seems to have made his tour to Sydney an annual event. In 1967 a review in The Australian Jewish Times noted that his brother William "Bill" (b 2 Feb. 1939) accompanied him and acted as his musical director and drummer. According to passenger arrival cards at the National Archives of Australia William Grant, who described himself variously as a "musician" or "businessman", usually accompanied his brother.

According to the Australian Concert Tours 1950-1979 database, Grant had the following nightclub residencies

May - June 1969 - Chevron Hotel, Kings Cross (Sydney)

In 1967 the Australian Bandstand host, Brian Henderson, described Grant as being the king of Sydney's nightclub scene, a most electrifying entertainer, an act to be seen live so that one could appreciate his great talent. Below is a link to his Sydney's performance:

Earl Grant Live Australian Bandstand 1967

Grant was a supporter of the American civil rights movement, and he told the Tribune reporter when interviewed, that he attended the 1963 March on Washington, "with everyone", presumably meaning other musicians, and then flew to Pasadena in California to attend a similar rally there the same night. He was a great believer in the value of education, because he said that it not only helped the oppressed black Americans get ahead, it also educated other Americans into the value of an equal society.

Earl Grant and his colleagues at Coogee Beach in 1965

Sharp Dresser

Grant was a very snappy dresser. He performed in well-tailored suits, and his feet pressing the organ's pedals could be seen in silk socks and shiny black patent shoes. In a US television interview he proudly showed off a fine suit and ensemble he said he had made in Sydney by "an Italian tailor". When Grant arrived in Sydney in February 1964, the Canberra Times reported that he came with a huge wardrobe of suits, shoes, shirts and ties, and a valet to look after them. It also reported that he kept fit by walking from Rushcutters Bay to Bondi Beach and back, as well as swimming at Coogee Beach.

Accidental Death
Tragically, Earl Grant died at the age of only 39 on June 10, 1970 in a car crash. He and a companion, his 17 year old cousin, Roosevelt Woods, were driving through the New Mexico desert 14 miles west of Lordsburg near the Arizona border on Interstate 10. They were on their way to perform at the La Fiesta nightclub in Juarez, Mexico. His Rolls-Royce swerved on a curve and rolled off the road. Grant was pinned inside the overturned wreck and Woods was thrown from the car. Both died of head and chest injuries. Earl Grant is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Lincoln Terrace, Lot 4236, Space 4 A.

Had it not been for his untimely death at a relatively early age, Earl Grant who was still in his musical prime would probably have made his annual migration to Sydney long after 1970, to the delight of audiences.

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