Ira Gershwin

Ira Gershwin
Gershwin in 1925
Background information
Birth name	Israel Gershovitz
Also known as	Israel Gershvin Arthur Francis
Born	(1896-12-06)December 6, 1896 New York City, U.S.
Died	August 17, 1983(1983-08-17) (aged 86) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Genres	Popular classical
Occupation(s)	Lyricist
Years active	1910s–1950s

Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 20th century.^[1] With George, he wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", "The Man I Love" and "Someone to Watch Over Me". He was also responsible, along with DuBose Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera Porgy and Bess.

The success the Gershwin brothers had with their collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira played. His mastery of songwriting continued after George's early death in 1937. Ira wrote additional hit songs with composers Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill, Harry Warren and Harold Arlen. His critically acclaimed 1959 book Lyrics on Several Occasions, an amalgam of autobiography and annotated anthology, is an important source for studying the art of the lyricist in the golden age of American popular song.^[2]