Erroll Grandy

Erroll Grandy (January 1, 1918 – June 12, 1996) was an American jazz pianist.

Erroll Grandy was highly influential in the Indianapolis jazz scene. Earning him the nickname, "godfather of Indiana Avenue jazz" because his musical impact in the 1940s to the 1960s. He would later be inducted into the Indiana Jazz's "Hall of Fame".

Early life Grandy was born January 1, 1918, in near Norfolk, Virginia to parents Mary and Thomas Grandy. While living in the South, Grandy was struck with a cataracts that left him virtually blind. Later that same year, he enrolled in the Jordan Conservatory of Music, what would eventually become the Jordan College of the Arts under Butler University, and graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Music in 1944.

Career Grandy was considered a mentor to many jazz musicians highlighted by a marathon benefit concert featuring 14 leading Indianapolis jazz groups. Later that same year, Grandy would be featured in the first annual Indiana Jazz Festival, a two night festival that showcased Indiana's top jazz musicians and highlighted their contributions to the history of jazz.

Death and legacy Grandy performed regularly until he moved into the Alpha Nursing Home due to declining health in 1986. He died five years later on June 12, 1991. Grandy was inducted into Indiana's Jazz Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Indianapolis Jazz Hall of Fame in 2015.