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THE FACES? FAMILIAR TO SOME.
THE NAMES? FAMILIAR TO THE WORLD FOR NEARLY A CENTURY.
On the show this Sunday…
This story begins in 1896, the year Ira Gershwin was born. 2 years later came his brother, George. Before the year 1900, 2 of the world’s greatest creative geniuses were born. And I’m sure nobody could have imagined the impact they would have on the world of music, film, stage, and millions of fans. Not to mention other music legends who have been and are still their biggest fans and continually strive to make this kind of history, even if only a fraction of it.
2 brothers with untouchable talent.
Ira Gershwin left us in 1983. He was 86. George, his younger brother, was taken from the world much too early in 1937 because of a fatal brain tumor. He was 38. Who knew that he would make history with his work in music for several decades after his death…
George Gershwin won his sole Oscar nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 1937 Oscars, for “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” written with his brother Ira for the 1937 film Shall We Dance. Gershwin died two months after the film’s release.
In 2005, The Guardian determined using “estimates of earnings accrued in a composer’s lifetime” that George Gershwin was the richest composer of all time. The George Gershwin Theatre on Broadway is named after him. The George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Musical Achievement Award was established by UCLA to honor the brothers for their contribution to music and for their gift to UCLA the fight song “Strike Up the Band for UCLA.” Past winners have included Angela Lansbury (1988), Ray Charles (1991), Mel Torme (1994), Bernadette Peters (1995), Frank Sinatra (2000), Stevie Wonder (2002), k.d. lang (2003), James Taylor (2004), Babyface (2005), Burt Bacharach (2006), Quincy Jones (2007), Lionel Richie (2008) and Julie Andrews (2009).
Following his brother’s death, Ira Gershwin waited nearly three years before writing again. However, he went on to live a much longer life continuing to amaze the world with his musical creations.
Three Ira Gershwin songs were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song: “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” (1937), “Long Ago and Far Away” (1944) and “The Man That Got Away” (1954).
Ira Gershwin, with George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, received the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for “Of Thee I Sing”.
On March 1, 2007, the Library of Congress announced that Paul Simon, one of America’s most respected songwriters and musicians, was the first recipient of the annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The second Gershwin Prize for Popular Song was awarded to Stevie Wonder by U.S. President Barack Obama on February 25, 2009.
The work of Ira and George Gershwin runs deep in the American consciousness.
Some of the Gershwin classics…
“But Not For Me”
“Embraceable You”
“I Can’t Get Started”
“I Got Rhythm”
“The Man I Love”
“Someone to Watch Over Me”
“‘S Wonderful”
…and have been covered by just about every music legend going back to the early 1900’s.
The jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald recorded many of the Gershwins’ songs on her ambitious 1959 Gershwin Songbook.
Countless singers and musicians have recorded Gershwin songs, including: Paul Posnak, Fred Astaire, Louis Armstrong, Dean Martin, Al Jolson, Bobby Darin, Percy Grainger, Art Tatum, Yehudi Menuhin, Bing Crosby, Janis Joplin, John Coltrane, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke, Diana Ross, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Hiromi Uehara, Madonna, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand, Marni Nixon, Natalie Cole, Patti Austin, Nina Simone, Maureen McGovern, John Fahey, The Residents, Kate Bush, Sublime, and Sting.
FAST FORWARD TO NOW:
ALEXIS GERSHWIN
When her young peers were going wild over rock n’ roll, Alexis Gershwin was singing 40’s and 50’s styled love ballads at parties and proms. “Ever since I was a little girl, this is the only music I’ve ever wanted to sing,” she says. “It touches my heart like nothing else.” The niece of composers Ira and George Gershwin, Alexis’ love for timeless classics is more than skin deep. She has indeed inherited the rich talents of her famous uncles, as a performer and vocalist.
From sultry show tunes to soaring ballads, Ms. Gershwin commands full range of her vocal talent. Critic Richard Blackwell referred to her as “an absolute beauty with a voice like a thousand angels.” And while at home in almost any genre the twinkle in her eye remains fixated on her first love- jazz and blues. Legendary music from the likes of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and of course, the Gershwins have remained an integral part of her repertoire throughout her career.
She has performed in theatres and concert halls throughout Europe and the U.S. and worked with some of the best producers in the industry. She recorded a still unreleased album with Lee Young, Sr. former A&R Director of ABC Records and creative head at Motown. She was also discovered by the late producer Bumps Blackwell (who also discovered Quincy Jones, Lou Rawls and Little Richard to name a few), whose untimely death led to a short-lived partnership. “Bumps was a great man,” says Ms. Gershwin. “He really inspired me to get it together and believe in myself.”
While her career has taken many turns over the years, some of Alexis most cherished moments have been as a wife and mother. Along the way, she has taken several years off at any one time to devote to family causes and doesn’t resent it one bit. “My time off has given me the space I need to continue to be creative and create shows that I can really sink my teeth into.”
Such is true with her most ambitious endeavor yet, called “Gershwin Sings Gershwin,” on which she has teamed with acclaimed musical director Steven Applegate to recreate some of the most timeless music of all- that of her uncles George and Ira Gershwin. “This is the culmination of my work as a vocalist, really. To do an entire show dedicated to my uncles is something I’ve always dreamed of, but never felt quite ready to try. Now I’m doing it and it is so exciting to see this incredible show take shape.” Alexis Gershwin’s music take us back to a quieter, sweeter time marked by poetic and audible lyrics. Ask Ms. Gershwin if romantic love songs will make a comeback. She’ll say they’ve never left. “There will always be room for romantic music, because people always need to be reminded that they are loved.” And that’s what being a Gershwin is all about.
Gershwin says, “When I am performing their music, its spooky sometimes. I feel Ira on one side of me and George on the other.”
George and Ira Gershwin’s genius was they created music and songs that are timeless. Alexis, remembers the stories about the Legendary A-list private parties which Ira would host. In the 70’s every week, Alexis would have dinner with Ira at his home. Proudly she say’s “Ira enjoyed life from his favorite chair. I was actually able to get him on the tennis court when no else could, and it turns out he was a good player.” Alexis, has some personal memorabilia of her famous uncles that she keeps near and dear which inspires her daily. George Gershwin loved to draw and sketch. One day he drew and signed a sketch of his mother, which Alexis owns. In addition, she has a cupid statue owned by Ira Gershwin.
Alexis concert Tour for 2010 is already filling up, The Harry James Tribute Orchestra along with the Gershwin Singers will be performing with Alexis on her upcoming concert tour. Former Billboard Magazine editor Paul Grein who currently writes the weekly music charts for yahoo.com says “Alexis manages to bring something fresh and new to her uncles music, she sings with ebullience, charm, combining a jazz singers penchant for idiosyncratic phrasing, an actresses flair for the dramatic and a comediennes comic sensibility, no small feat for songs that have been recorded hundreds of times. This CD is a winner. A loving tribute to George and Ira Gershwin, like no one else could do, Gershwin Sings Gershwin. Alexis say’s “ These are my all time favorite songs my uncles created.”
The CD includes:
‘S Wonderful
How Long Has This Been Going On
Embraceable You
I’ve Got A Crush On You
Isn’t It A Pity
They All Laughed
Long Ago ( Far Away)
Our Love Is Here To Stay
The Man I Love
They Can’t Take That Away From Me
Summertime
Someone To Watch over Me
GERSHWIN SINGS GERSHWIN is now available online at iTunes through www.premiummusicsolutions.com and at www.alexisgershwin.com
And…CO-HOSTING IS: “DQ” (Ladies, I think he’s still on the market…..I’m currently taking bids.)
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