George Gershwin

American composer and pianist (1898–1937)

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Lived 1898–1937, aged 39United States

United States MusiciansSinger / Musician

Fame33.0
Momentum0.1
United States rank#212
Musicians rank#212
Wikipedia48.7K

Wikipedia
77 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in United States
#212
Musicians
Era
1898–1937
Aged 39

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

Wrote "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Summertime" before dying at 38. Gershwin blurred jazz, pop, and classical so seamlessly that his 1920s-30s output still defines American music's sound.

Biography

About

George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swanee" (1919) and "Fascinating Rhythm" (1924), the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928), the jazz standards "Embraceable You" (1928) and "I Got Rhythm" (1930) and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935), which included the hit "Summertime". His Of Thee I Sing (1931) was the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

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