Died On This Date (July 11, 1937) George Gershwin / Iconic Composer
themusicsover George Gershwin (Born Jacob Gershowitz)
September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937
Although his career spanned just around twenty years due to his untimely death, George Gerswhin, along with his brother Ira Gershwin, created some of the most popular music of all time. His compositions can, to this day, be heard on Broadway, in classical concert halls, films and television. Many of his songs have become standards and have been recorded by the biggest names in show business. That list includes Barbra Streisand, Sting, Janis Joplin, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Diana Ross, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong. George Gershwin died at the age of 38 during surgery for what was a brain tumor. There have been some who disputed that a tumor caused his death.
What You Should Own
Jelly Roll Morton is considered Jazz’s first great composer and by at least himself, the inventor of jazz. Regardless, his contribution to the form cannot be denied. Starting out in New Orleans, reportedly playing the local bordellos as a teenager, Morton soon hit the road landing in Los Angeles, Chicago and finally New York where his reputation as a braggart kept him from landing the sidemen he wanted, adversely effecting his career. He did make some outstanding recordings though, but he never was able to get the acclaim he deserved until after his death, again, likely due to his reputation. Jelly Roll Morton died as a result of ongoing asthma troubles at just 50. His place in American music was finally recognized in the coming years when New Orleans jazz went through a revival.
David Fanshawe was a revered English ethnomusicologist and sometime composer who created music for television shows and more. After high school, he began to study music in college while working as a film editor and traveling the world during holidays. While on these excursions, many times hitchhiking, Fanshawe took along a tape recorder to capture the traditional folk songs of the people he encountered along the way. This continued, but much more extensively upon his graduation. Meanwhile, Fanshawe was also composing music, much of it for English television and film scores. Many of his pieces incorporated the field music he recorded during his travels. Samples of these recordings can also be heard in such American films as Gangs Of New York and How To Make an American Quilt. In all, Fanshawe’s collection grew to over 2000 hours of music and over 6000 photographs. David Fanshawe was 67 when he died of a stroke on July 5, 2010.
Johnny Mercer was a popular songwriter whose many songs made stars out of their singers during the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. He gave us such standards as “Days Of Wine And Roses,” “P.S. I Love You,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “Day In, Day Out,” and “Hooray For Hollywood” to name just a few. Mercer moved to Hollywood in 1935 and became one if the most in-demand songwriters in film. In 1942 he along with Buddy DeSylva and Glen Wallichs started Capitol Records where I used to work. In 1975, Mercer learned he had an inoperable brain tumor which lead to his death on June 25, 1976.
