Gershwin's peak of fame occurred during the Great Depression, an event that seemingly didn't touch him. His rise, fame and popularity was one of the few shining stars of the period. His hits on Broadway, his national radio shows, his best known compositions all coincided with the Depression. I certainly don't hold this against him, but it was interesting for a book that highlighted the 1930s yet barely mentioned the greatest financial calamity in modern history.
I hadn't realized that Gershwin was such a success on Broadway. Although Gershwin did a lot of things in his short life, he spent most of his time producing mega hits such as Funny Face, Strike Up the Band and Of Thee I Sing.
And that's actually where his extensive book of songs developed. He and his brother Ira would write dozens of songs for any given show, less than half of which would actually get used in the show itself. So over time they accumulated a massive collection of songs, used and unused in their various productions.
Often hailed as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Gershwin longed for respectability as a composer. The upper-crust music critics of his day largely dismissed him as a composer of classical works. Porgy & Bess is an opera, but not in exactly the same vane as Mozart, etc.
His catalog straddles popular music, jazz and classical composition. He can't be boxed into any specific genre. He created his own category of uniquely American music.
Anyhow the book provided a glimpse into an incredibly interesting life.
And it has nudged me to build an extensive Gershwin playlist that I'm now enjoying on a regular basis!
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