WASHINGTON (AP) — The creator of “Schoolhouse Rock” from the heyday of Saturday morning cartoons is celebrating 40 years of the popular educational songs at the Kennedy Center.
Bob Dorough, who wrote and voiced many of the tunes, will lead a free sing-along concert Sunday at 6 p.m. Dorough just turned 89. His “Schoolhouse Rock” jams first appeared on television 40 years ago next week.
The first three-minute animated video was “My Hero, Zero.” It appeared on Jan. 13, 1973.
Dorough tells The Washington Post he still plays the songs in his jazz performances. He was a jazz composer in the early 1970s when he was tapped to write catchy and educational songs about math, grammar or science.
“Schoolhouse Rock” ran until 1985 then reemerged for several years in the 1990s.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
