Gershwin’s parents moved to New York from Russia before George’s birth. The
family name changed gradually from Gershovitz, to Gershwine, to the now
familiar Gershwin. He took only a few lessons as a young man in piano and
composition. He once tried to convince the famed Arnold Schoenberg to give him
lessons in composition. Arnold replied, "I would only make you a bad
Shoenberg, and you are such a good Gershwin already!" His success truly began
with the compositiion of Swanee. He was comisioned later to
write a concerto for Paul Whiteman’s jazz orchestra in 1923. He did not
compose a full-scale concerto, but the result was Rhapsody in Blue which took
the world by storm! To prove there was more where that came from, he wrote his
brilliantly orchestrated Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra in 1925. He
continued expanding his concert repetoire with such inspirational works as An
American in Paris and Cuban Overture (both inspired by trips he took) while
gaining immense popularity with his works in both Broadway musicals and Hollywood film scores.
George died in 1937 of a brain tumor. It was said that in his last days alive
he would peck at his piano and try to regain the virtuosic glory that had
defined not only a generation of music but what American music would be for
coming generations.

(Contributed by Chance Cadman <gershy7@hotmail.com>)