George Gershwin
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
Gershwins first major hit, interpolated into the show +Sinbad in 1919, was Swanee, sung by Al Jolson. Gershwin wrote both complete scores and songs for such variety shoes as George Whites +Scandals (whose annual editions thus were able to introduce such songs as Ill Build a Stairway to Paradise and Somebody Loves Me).
After 1924, Gershwin worked primarily with his brother Ira as his lyricist. The two scored a series of Broadway hits in the 20s and early 30s, starting with +Lady Be Good (1924), which included the song Fascinatin Rhythm. 1924 was also the year Gershwin composed his first classical piece, Rhapsody in Blue, and he would continue to work in the classical field until his death.
By the 30s, the Gershwins had turned to political topics and satire in response to the onset of the Depression, and their +Of Thee I Sing became the first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize. In the mid 30s, Gershwin ambitiously worked to meld his show music and classical leanings in the creation of the folk opera +Porgy and Bess, with lyrics by Ira and Dubose Heyward. The Gershwins had moved to Hollywood and were engaged in several movie projects at the time of George Gershwins death.
