by Seymour "Sy" Brody George Gershwin and his older brother,
Ira, elevated the Broadway musical to new and distinctive
heights. George Gershwin also composed popular music and jazz
for classical concert halls. Gershwin was the son of Morris and
Rosa, nee Bruskin, Gershwin. He was born on September 26, 1898,
in Brooklyn, New York. When the Gershwins bought a piano for
Ira, George monopolized it. He took piano lessons and was
introduced to classical music. Gershwin wrote his first song in
1913. At the age of 15, he quit school to become a song plugger.
In 1919, he completed his first score for the Broadway musical
La, La Lucille. During the same year, he teamed up with Irving
Caesar to write Swanee. Al Jolson heard Gershwin play Swanee at
a party and put it into his Broadway show. It became an
overnight hit and rocketed Gershwin to a new status in the
musical world. Gershwin worked with his brother to create the
Broadway musical Lady be Good in 1924. In the same year, he
composed the concerto Rhapsody in Blue f