George Newall was the last surviving co-creator of the iconic “Schoolhouse Rock” series of educational cartoon shorts.
- Died: November 30, 2022 (Who else died on November 30?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in New York of cardiopulmonary arrest at the age of 88.
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Schoolhouse Rock
Newall studied musical composition in school before going to work at an ad agency. This combination of interests helped him become a driving force behind “Schoolhouse Rock.” While working as a creative director at the ad agency McCaffrey and McCall, Newall was asked to come up with a project setting education topics to rock music. Along with co-creators Bob Dorough (1923–2018) and Tom Yohe, Newall invented “Schoolhouse Rock,” launching the series in 1971. Newall wrote the music and lyrics to several “Schoolhouse Rock” tunes, including “Unpack Your Adjectives” and “The Energy Blues.” The series ran through the 1970s and early ‘80s, and Newall helped revive it for new stints in the 1990s and 2000s. He won four Emmy Awards for his work with “Schoolhouse Rock.” Newall also created the tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign for Hai Karate cologne.
Newall on the origins of “Schoolhouse Rock”
“One morning as we chatted, Dave [McCall] told me about taking his kids on a dude ranch vacation. His son, Davey Jr., had been having a lot of trouble with multiplication tables in school, but Dave noticed that as they were riding along the kid was singing the lyrics to every rock & roll hit of the day. What if we produced an educational phonograph record of the multiplication tables set to rock music? Great idea.” —from a 2014 interview for Noblemania
Tributes to George Newall
Full obituary: Westchester Funeral Home
