George Gershwin Headshot

George Gershwin

Date of Birth: September 26, 1898

Date of Death: July 11, 1937 (38)

Birth Place: Brooklyn, NY

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George Gershwin BIO

George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn on September 26, 1898, and began his musical training when he was 13. At 16 he quit high school to work as a "song plugger" for a music publisher, and soon he was writing songs himself. "Swanee," as introduced by Al Jolson, brought George his first real fame and led to his writing a succession of 22 musical comedies, most with his older brother, Ira. The Gershwins' shows include Lady Be Good, Oh, Kay!, Strike Up the Band, Girl Crazy, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Of Thee I Sing. From his early career George had ambitions to compose serious music, and his classical masterpieces include "Rhapsody In Blue," "Concerto In F," "An American In Paris" and "Second Rhapsody." In the late '20s George became fascinated by the DuBose Heyward novel Porgy, recognizing it as a perfect vehicle for opera using jazz and blues idioms. The folk opera Porgy and Bess had its Broadway premiere in October of 1935. In 1937 George was at the height of his career. While working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies in Hollywood, he collapsed, and on July 11, died of a brain tumor. He was not quite 39 years old.

George Gershwin STAGE CREDITS

George Gershwin Productions

 
[West End, 2023]
Music & Lyrics
 
[Broadway, 2015]
Music and Lyrics
 
[Off-Broadway, 2015]
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[Paris, 2014]
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[Broadway, 1937]
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[Broadway, 1936]
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[Broadway, 1930]
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[Broadway, 1927]
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[Broadway, 1923]
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[Broadway, 1922]
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[Broadway, 1922]
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[Broadway, 1921]
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[Broadway, 1919]
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[Broadway, 1918]
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Sketches/Composer/Lyricist
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George Gershwin Movies

[1937]Shall We Dance music by

[1938]The Goldwyn Follies music by

[1945]Rhapsody in Blue music

[1951]An American in Paris music by

[1957]Funny Face songwriter

[1964]Kiss Me, Stupid songs by

[2013]The Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess' music

[2018]An American in Paris - The Musical music and lyrics by

George Gershwin Awards and Nominations

Olivier Awards - 2007 - Best New Musical

George GershwinThe Gershwins' Porgy And Bess

George Gershwin Videos

George Gershwin News

Caramoor Summer Season Opens With Audra McDonald & Orchestra of St. Luke, June 17

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The Harlem Chamber Players to Mark 15th Anniversary and Black Music Month With HARLEM SONGFEST II

The Harlem Chamber Players will mark its 15th Anniversary and Black Music Month with a musical extravaganza Harlem Songfest II, celebrating Black opera singers and the music of Black composers, including women.

Julie Benko to Return to Birdland With JULIE SINGS JULE This Summer

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present Broadway’s newest sensation Julie Benko – in “Julie Sings Jule,” a concert celebrating the songs of Jule Styne – on Monday, July 24 at 7:00 PM.

Salutes to Joni Mitchell and Broadway, and More Set for North Charleston POPS! 2023 - 2024 Season

The North Charleston POPS! has announced its 2023 – 2024 season concerts. The season features all new shows and something for everyone. See full programming and learn how to purchase tickets!

The VSO Will Embark on TD Bank Summer Festival Tour

The VSO TD Bank Summer Festival Tour is back with a lineup of American favorites to get you dancing and celebrating the most anticipated time of year in Vermont with five stops across the state.

HAND-DRAWN JAZZ at CFCArts

Special Offer: This Week! Hear the country's biggest Community Orchestra play jazz classics

The Sounds Of The Pipe Organ Comes To Chicago's North Shore This Month

The sounds of the pipe organ, hailed as 'the king of instruments' by composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, will reverberate throughout Chicago's northern suburbs at public concerts June 25-28, 2023, during the American Guild of Organists' Great Lakes Regional Convention, hosted in Evanston by the AGO's North Shore Chapter.

AN EVENING WITH NICOLE HENRY is Coming to Birdland in July

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present powerhouse vocalist Nicole Henry on Monday, July 10 at 7:00 PM.

CFCArts Symphony Orchestra Kicks Off June With Symphonic Swing, Followed By Hand-Drawn Jazz From CFCArts Big Band

The powerful instrumental ensembles of Central Florida Community Arts are heating up this summer!

Boston Landmarks Orchestra Announces Summer 2023 Performances

Boston Landmarks Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Christopher Wilkins, brings its annual summer series of free, live orchestral concerts to the iconic DCR Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade, with a special focus on concerts in Dorchester, Roxbury, Hyde Square, and Chelsea.

Start the Summer Right with BroadwayHD

Whether you’re celebrating Father’s Day, summer vacation, Pride month, or simply Tony Awards season, BroadwayHD has a variety of shows the whole family can enjoy.

Review: I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE at Chinese Theatre

Susan Morgan Cooper's documentary, I CAN’T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE, renders a candid and illuminating homage to one of the luminaries of The Great American Songbook ~ Jimmy McHugh. The film will be screened on June 27th at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA.

Interview: Michael Feinstein talks TWO PIANOS: WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE?

Michael Feinstein is about to once again burnish his long-held reputation as a leading interpreter of the music of the iconic composer and his lyricist brother – the team responsible for songs like “Fascinating Rhythm,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” “The Man I Love,” and many more – when he brings “Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?” to Boston’s Symphony Hall, May 31–June 1, and Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts, on July 18.

Natalie Douglas to Preset A 60's SONGS JUNETEENTH JUBILEE at Birdland This Summer

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present the return of Natalie Douglas – thirteen-time MAC Award, two-time Bistro Award and Nightlife Award winner – with “A 60’s Songs Juneteenth Jubilee” on Monday, June 19 at 7:00 PM.

South Coast Repertory 60th Season Including QUIXOTE NUEVO, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, And More

South Coast Repertory announced its 60th season, with a lineup that ranges from an American classic to contemporary works, with two world premieres—including one musical—and a special offering featuring pianist and actor Hershey Felder.

SF Symphony Collaborative Partner Julia Bullock Joins Esa-Pekka Salonen for Final Program of 2022-23 Season

On June 29–July 1, Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony are joined by classical singer and Collaborative Partner Julia Bullock and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus for the final program of the Orchestra’s 2022–23 subscription season.   

The Harlem Chamber Players to Present HARLEM SONGFEST II in June

The Harlem Chamber Players will mark its 15th Anniversary and Black Music Month with a musical extravaganza Harlem Songfest II, celebrating Black opera singers and the music of Black composers, including women, on Friday, June 9, at 7 p.m. at Miller Theatre at Columbia University.

Video: Sean Hayes Reveals Why Starring in GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR is 'Therapeutic' to Him on CBS MORNINGS

Sean Hayes sat down on CBS Mornings to discuss starring on Broadway in Good Night, Oscar. Hayes revealed how starring as Oscar Levant in the new play is 'almost therapeutic' to him. Hayes also discussed why the performance is such a departure from his Will & Grace character, how Broadway relies on the Tony Awards, and more. Watch the video now!

Billy Stritch, Carole J. Bufford, and Liam Forde to Star in HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD! at Birdland

BIRDLAND THEATER will present the New York debut of the musical revue “Hooray for Hollywood!” on Thursday, June 15 at 8:30 PM.

10 Videos That Have Us Swooning Over A RHAPSODY OF GERSHWIN Starring Matt Baker At Chelsea Table + Stage

Matt Baker is back behind the piano and in a new venue. He will bring his Gershwin show to Chelsea Table + Stage this spring

George Gershwin FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

George Gershwin has written 48 shows including Half-Past Eight (Composer), La, La, Lucille (Composer), La-La-Lucille! (Composer), Morris Gest's "Midnight Whirl" (Composer), George White's Scandals [1920] (Composer), Snapshots of 1921 (Composer), The Broadway Whirl (Composer), George White's Scandals [1921] (Composer), The French Doll (Composer), George White's Scandals [1922] (Composer), Our Nell (Composer), George White's Scandals [1923] (Composer), Sweet Little Devil (Composer), George White's Scandals [1924] (Composer), Primrose (Composer), Lady, Be Good (Composer), Tell Me More! (Composer), Tip-Toes (Composer), Song of the Flame (Composer), Oh, Kay! (Composer), Strike Up the Band (Composer), Funny Face (Composer), Rosalie (Composer), Treasure Girl (Composer), Show Girl (Composer), Girl Crazy (Composer), Of Thee I Sing (Composer), Pardon My English (Composer), Let 'Em Eat Cake (Composer), Porgy and Bess (Composer), All Points West (Composer), Who Cares? (Composer), Do It Again! (Composer), Mr. Words (Composer), My One and Only (Composer), Gertrude Stein and a Companion (Additional Music), Reaching for the Moon (Composer), Crazy for You (Composer), The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm (Composer/Lyricist), Jolson & Co. (Composer/Lyricist), American Rhapsody: A New Musical Revue (Composer), George Gershwin Alone (Composer/Lyricist), Elaine Stritch At Liberty (Composer), Stairway to Paradise (Sketches/Composer/Lyricist), The Gershwins' An American In Paris (Composer), Come Fly Away (Composer), Nice Work If You Can Get It (Composer), A Night With Janis Joplin (Composer).

George Gershwin has been nominated for several awards in the Broadway industry. Some of the notable nominations include Best New Musical (Olivier Awards) for The Gershwins' Porgy And Bess and The American Express Award for Best New Musical (Olivier Awards) for Crazy For You. Gershwin's contributions to the music industry have earned him recognition and praise from critics and audiences alike.

The American Express Award for Best New Musical (Olivier Awards) for Crazy For You.

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