Born in New York City. Grofé, the descendant of four generations of classical musicians, had an unusual life. After he ran away from home at age fourteen, he worked as a milkman, truck driver, helper in a book bindery, iron factory worker, piano player in a bar for $2 a night, and an accompanist. He also worked as an arranger for a jazz orchestra, a violinist for the Los Angeles Symphony, a conductor and a faculty member at the Juilliard School of Music where he taught orchestration. All of these varied experiences can be heard in his music; he liked to combine jazz rhythms and simple ballad-like tunes into his music. He was also a gifted arranger and orchestrator. He orchestrated many piano works for other composers including Gershwin and Ravel. His most famous works are "Grand Canyon Suite," "Broadway at Night," "Mississippi Suite" and "Death Valley Suite." His son, Ferde Grofé Jr. is a writer, producer and director for film and television. Visit the Internet Movie Database to view Grofé's composing and conducting credits.  Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Scoring of a Musical Picture) 1944: MINSTREL MAN (w. Leo Erdody) 1 nomination