(Born September 26, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York; died July 11, 1937 in Beverly Hills)

George Gershwin, one of America's most famous composers, was a child of the Jazz Age, who was especially known for his timeless, jazz-infused swig. The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, he grew up in Brooklyn. Although he was renowned for his spectacular piano playing, he grew up without access to a piano at home until he was about twelve. Before that he had a seminal musical experience which he later recalled: it was being captivated by hearing Rubinstein's Melody in F played on a player-piano in the street.

Serving his musical apprenticeship in Tin Pan Alley beginning in 1914, he worked for Jerome H. Remick and Co. as a song plugger. There he learned the repertoire, observed the direct relationship between the composer and the consumer, and began to find his own bearings as he wrote music for Vaudeville acts, the musical comedy stage, the concert hall, and Hollywood.

In his early twenties, Gershwin became one of the most successful popular song-writers of his time. He was widely admired for the beauty and originality of his melodic inventions and for the vigor and ingenuity of his rhythms. At the time of his death, Gershwin was working on The Goldwyn Follies, for which he and his older brother Ira wrote "Love Walked In" and "Our Love Is Here to Stay," published in 1938.

Among his most famous compositions are An American in Paris, Porgy and Bess, and Concerto in F for piano, but the songs on this program, all composed in 1937, are winning and will undoubtedly strike a familiar chord.