Bob McGrath Robert Emmet " Bob " McGrath ( b . June 13 , 1932 in Illinois ) has been playing the role of Bob Johnson as a member of the cast of " Sesame Street " since the show ' s inception in 1969 . Early life . Bob McGrath first became interested in music at the age of 5 ; his immediate family acquired a piano when his grandmother moved into another house . His mother was a pianist in her own right ; McGrath attributes his initial interest in music to her . In high school , McGrath had a job at a radio station in an adjacent town . He was also involved in numerous musical plays and competitions . He later attended the University of Michigan as a voice major . During the time of the Korean War , McGrath was deployed to Germany , where he worked as part of the 7th Army Symphony . He joined a quartet , and the group toured France for about a month . Soon after , McGrath moved to New York , where he became part of another quartet . Singing career . McGrath performed with record producer / singer Mitch Miller ' s troupe , starting when one of Miller ' s long - time tenors bowed out in December of 1959 , on records and then on TV ' s " Sing Along with Mitch " ( 1961 - 1964 ) . He was actually a member of the chorus ( " The Sing Along Gang " ) , but he got a chance to perform a solo on a St . Patrick ' s Day show , amazing audiences , including Miller himself . McGrath eventually became a featured soloist . Though the show ' s run ended in 1964 , the cast and crew were invited to perform in Las Vegas and Japan . While on tour with Miller , Bob McGrath developed a sizable teenage following , where he was known as Bobu Magurasu ( ボブ ・ マグラス ) . After eight hit albums and more than 30 hit singles , he continued to tour to sellout crowds . After three years , offers were made for him to move to Japan and continue recording and touring . However , pop stardom was passed over in preference to his family . Life on the Street . McGrath learned about the Sesame Street casting call from a good friend . He was skeptical about the show ' s concept , but did sign on along with Matt Robinson , Will Lee , and Loretta Long . When McGrath first joined the cast , one of the names he was offered for his character just happened to be Bobby . He figured he ' d be faster to respond to his own name than to others such as Ted or Jack , so he opted for Bobby , but requested that they drop the ' by ' . McGrath voiced the trumpet player in " I Am A Fine Musician " , and one of the brothers in " Five People In My Family . " Bob McGrath and Will Lee were apparently very close ; the two shared a dressing room . McGrath says he learned many lessons from Lee , particularly the importance of respecting the integrity of the children that members of the cast work with . When Lee died in 1982 , producers were faced with a dilemma . After exploring several options and conducting a great deal of research , the production crew finally decided to address the death directly ( in episode 1839 from the following year ) . The result was what many consider to be one of the most poignant moments in " Sesame Street " history , as McGrath recalled : McGrath has cited this scene and the spoof of the Gift of the Magi from " Christmas Eve on Sesame Street " as his two favorite " Sesame Street " moments . He also appeared in most of the other " Sesame " specials as well as both theatrical films , " Follow That Bird " and " The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland " . By 2011 , the season size and his personal schedule of episodes was so reduced , he told one newspaper : " It ' s like a hobby , quite frankly . But I don ' t mind , because it ' s still fun and still a great place to go to work . There ' s much less a sense of the neighborhood . They ' re using many fewer live people per segment . I don ' t mean to be negative . I ' m just being realistic . The show is still great , but it ' s done differently for a different audience . " Off the Street . Bolstered by his long - term " Sesame Street " work , McGrath has remained a popular and recognizable stage performer and recording artist , in addition to authoring several children ' s books . He continues to perform in concerts and make public appearances during the seven to eight months when " Sesame Street " is not taping shows . Traditionally his stage show consists of healthy amounts of " Sesame Street " songs along with Broadway music and movie tunes that appeal to children . He collaborates with several nonprofit organizations , including the Telemiracle Foundation in Saskatchewan , Canada ( for which he appeared in annual Telemiracle telethons for many years , often accompanied by his daughter ) , and the Variety Children ' s Charity in British Columbia , Canada . On May 17 , 2007 , he lent his voice to a recording for Songs of Love , a charity which produces songs for the benefit of children with long - term health impairments . In 2004 , McGrath stated he had no intention of retiring . Interviews . The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation interviewed McGrath in 2004 for the Archive of American Television . The hour and a half interview was posted on YouTube in 2008 .