Walter Gross was an American composer, pianist, arranger, and orchestra conductor born on July 14, 1909, in New York City. He worked across the music industry as both a creative force and an executive, collaborating with bandleaders such as Paul Whiteman, Andre Kostelanetz, and Tommy Dorsey, and accompanying or conducting for singers including Maxine Sullivan, Mel Torme, and Frank Sinatra. Gross composed dozens of songs from the late 1930s through the 1960s in partnership with leading lyricists of the era, including Jack Lawrence, Carl Sigman, Bobby Troup, and Ned Washington. His most enduring composition is Tenderly, written in 1946 with lyrics by Jack Lawrence. The song gained widespread recognition through recordings by Sarah Vaughan, Rosemary Clooney, and many others, becoming one of the most frequently performed jazz standards. On AllSolos, Tenderly is featured as a study piece. Though Gross produced a varied catalog of popular songs and instrumental works across multiple labels, it is Tenderly that secured his place in the American songbook. He died on November 27, 1967, in Burbank, California.
