Raphael Grinage was an American jazz and folk musician and composer.

Early life

Raphael Grinage (aka Les Grinage) was born in Cleveland, Ohio on January 4, 1931, the third of four sons. His father, Jose, was an African-American Methodist Episcopal (AME) minister, and his mother, Lathrope Tull, taught piano. His family moved to Kentucky when he was a teenager, and from there, after graduating high school, Raphael joined the Army and was sent to Korea. Upon his discharge, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. He had already participated in bands during high school, and decided to become a professional bassist. His formal music training was obtained at the Manhattan School of Music.

Music career

As a bassist, Grinage accompanied many of the jazz greats of the era such as vocalist

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

and legendary pianist Bill Evans, among others. He increased his versatility by playing

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

and learning to play the Japanese

Koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

and the

Dilruba The dilruba (also spelt dilrupa) is a bowed musical instrument originating in India. It is slightly larger than an esraj and has a larger, square resonance box. The dilruba holds particular importance in Sikh history. It became more widely k ...

(a bowed version of the Indian sitar). In the 50s, he was a member of the musicians who accompanied the

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Center ...

Company, and joined them in several international visits, on behalf of the US State Department. In the 1960s, he joined folksinger

Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...

, and accompanied her for over five years, travelling around the world. It was while he was in Japan with

that he met the woman he would marry, and that decision changed his life’s trajectory. Returning to the United States in 1969, Raphael joined with

Hamilton Camp Hamilton Camp (Born Robin S. Camp, 30 October 1934 – 2 October 2005) was a London-born actor and singer, who relocated to the United States with his family when he was a young child. He became an American folk singer during he 1960s, and ev ...

and two other musicians to form the group, The True Brethren. The four composed the music for Paul Sills' Story Theatre, which previewed at Mark Taper Forum in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. Later it was taken to Broadway where it played for a year before it went on tour and became the basis of a TV series. The show was nominated for best Broadway show of the year in 1971. Grinage also played and composed music for the Broadway Show, Paul Sills adaptation of Ovid's Metamorphoses. Grinage played at many Bay Area venues, including the musical based on the famous song "

Stompin' at the Savoy "Stompin' at the Savoy" is a 1933 jazz standard composed by Edgar Sampson. It is named after the famed Harlem nightspot the Savoy Ballroom in New York City. History and composition Although the song is credited to Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Edgar ...

", which ran in San Francisco for several months. He also played with many Bay Area musicians, including Earl Hines. In 2012 four live recordings of the True Brethren from 1969 were released for the first time by one of the members of the original group. In these rare recordings, Grinage plays two of the instruments he spent a lifetime playing: the

and

dilruba The dilruba (also spelt dilrupa) is a bowed musical instrument originating in India. It is slightly larger than an esraj and has a larger, square resonance box. The dilruba holds particular importance in Sikh history. It became more widely k ...

Personal life

Raphael fathered four sons. His career was impacted by his having become a double amputee as a result of diabetes. On December 15, 1993, at Raphael's home in Oakland, California, the Oakland police animal control attempted to quarantine his son Luke's pitbull, which had bitten an intruder. After a brief conversation and Luke's initial resistance to surrendering his dog, he finally agreed to get the dog. But scuffling with OPD ensued and eventually, police officers killed Raphael who was caught in the crossfire in his wheel chair, Luke and Luke's dog. A police officer also died in the incident.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grinage, Raphael 1931 births 1993 deaths Musicians from Cleveland American jazz musicians American male composers Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area 20th-century American composers Manhattan School of Music alumni Jazz musicians from California Jazz musicians from Ohio 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians