George Gershwin
“True music must repeat the thought and inspirations
of the people and the time. My people are Americans
and my time is today.”
— George Gershwin
A simple twist of fate was all it took for George
Gershwin to discover the talent that made him a
legend. Destiny came knocking when George’s parents
purchased a piano for his older brother, Ira, who
expressed an interest in learning to play. But to
everyone’s surprise, it was George who had a natural
gift for the instrument and the youngster was soon
playing by ear. By the age of 12, George had become
quite proficient and was on the road to becoming one
of the world’s most famous composers.
George, who was born in 1898, began his professional
career in “Tin Pan Alley.” The “Alley” was a location
in New York City where aspiring composers and
songwriters would bring their scores to a publisher in
hopes of selling the tunes for a modest amount of
cash. He worked as a song plugger for the Jerome Remick
Company and learned the formula for a successful song.
Within two years of working for Jerome Remick, George
had his first tune published. The song, “When You Want
’Em You Can’t Get ’Em,” paved the way to his first hit
“Swanee,” which was sung by Al Jolson in the Broadway
musical “Sinbad.” George composed his first musical
score in 1919 for the production “La, La Lucille.” He
went on to compose “Rhapsody In Blue,” which became
his signature piece.
In 1924, George and his brother Ira began their
collaboration. George wrote the music and Ira penned
the lyrics. The brothers created the musical “Lady Be
Good!,” which featured songs such as “Fascinating
Rhythm,” and “The Man I Love.”
After “Lady Be Good!,” George teamed up with Ira to
create several musicals, including “Tip-Toes, Oh
Kay!,” “Strike Up the Band,” “Funny Face,” “Girl
Crazy,” and “Of Thee I Sing.” Songs featured from
these musicals include “Clap Yo’ Hands,” “Strike Up
the Band.” and the highly popular, “Someone to Watch
Over Me.”
George and Ira moved to Hollywood in 1930 and composed
numerous scores and songs for the Silver Screen. These
included short pieces for Fred Astaire and Ginger
Rogers. George’s first work for film was for the
motion picture “The King of Jazz,” featuring music
selected by George’s old friend, Paul Whiteman. The
film, which starred Bing Crosby, included “Rhapsody in
Blue” as one of its featured songs.
After “The King of Jazz” opened, George and Ira wrote
songs for a number of successful films. Among the
many successful tunes from those films were “I Got
Rhythm,” “But Not For Me,” “Bidin’ My Time,” “Let’s
Call The Whole Thing Off,” and “Our Love Is Here to
Stay.”
George, whose music is still widely recognized today,
died of brain cancer on July 11, 1937.
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