Biography
Legendary, prolific composer, songwriter and author, educated at Townsend Harris Hall, City College of New York, and Columbia University. He began his career as a contributor to newspaper columns, and also worked for a touring carnival. His Broadway stage scores include "Two Little Girls in Blue" (written under the pseudonym 'Arthur Francis'), "Lady Be Good", "Tell Me More", "Tip-Toes", "Oh, Kay", "Funny Face", "Rosalie", "Treasure Girl", "Show Girl", "Strike Up the Band", "Girl Crazy", "Of Thee I Sing" (Pulitzer Prize, 1932), "Let 'Em Eat Cake", "Life Begins at 8:40", "Ziegfeld Follies of 1936", "Lady in the Dark", and "Park Avenue". Joining ASCAP in 1920, his chief musical collaborators was his brother George Gershwin, and also included Lewis Alter, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Jerome Kern, Joseph Meyer, Sigmund Romberg, Arthur Schwartz, Harry Warren, Richard Whiting, Kurt Weill, Burton Lane, Vincent Youmans, Philip Charig, and E. Y. 'Yip' Harburg. His popular-song compositions include "The Real American Folk Song", "Oh, Me! Oh, My!", "Dolly", "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise", "Fascinating Rhythm", "So Am I", "Oh, Lady Be Good", "The Half of It Dearie Blues", "Little Jazz Bird", "The Man I Love", "Kickin' the Clouds Away", "Looking for a Boy", "These Charming People", "That Certain Feeling", "Sweet and Low-Down", "Sunny Disposish", "Dear Little Girl", "Maybe", "Clap Yo' Hands", "Do Do Do", "Someone to Watch Over Me", "Strike Up the Band", "Let's Kiss and Make Up", "Funny Face", "'S Wonderful", "My One and Only", "He Loves and She Loves", "The Babbitt and the Bromide", "How Long Has This Been Going On?", "The One I'm Looking For", "I've Got a Crush on You", "Oh So Nice", "Where's the Boy, Here's the Girl", "Liza", "Soon", "Bidin' My Time", "Could You Use Me?", "Embraceable You", "Sam and Delilah", "I Got Rhythm", "But Not for Me", "Boy! What Love Has Done to Me!", "I Am Only Human After All", "Cheerful Little Earful", "Blah-Blah-Blah", "Wintergreen for President", "Love Is Sweeping the Country", "Of Thee I Sing (Baby)", "Who Cares?", "Hello, Good Morning", "Lorelei", "Isn't It a Pity?", "My Cousin in Milwaukee", "Mine", "You're a Builder-Upper", "Fun to be Fooled", "What Can You Say in a Love Song?", "Let's Take a Walk Around the Block", "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'", "Bess, You Is My Woman Now", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "I Loves You, Porgy", "There's a Boat dat's Leavin' Soon for New York", "Island in the West Indies", "I Can't Get Started", "That Moment of Moments", "By Strauss", "Beginner's Luck", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", "Shall We Dance", "They All Laughed", "They Can't Take That Away from Me", "A Foggy Day", "Nice Work if You Can Get It", "I Was Doing All Right", "Love Is Here to Stay", "Love Walked In", "Spring Again", "One Life to Live" and many more.
