Melody Gardot
Encyclopedia
Melody Gardot ɡɑrˈdoʊ is a Grammy-nominated American
singer, writer and musician
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, though she considers herself a "citizen of the world". She has been influenced by such blues and jazz artists as Judy Garland
, Janis Joplin
, Miles Davis
, Duke Ellington
, Stan Getz
and George Gershwin
as well as Latin music artists such as Caetano Veloso
. Her music has been compared to that of Nina Simone
.
Gardot follows the teachings of Buddhism
, is a macrobiotic cook and humanitarian who often speaks about the benefits of music therapy. She has visited various universities and hospitals to speak about its ability to help reconnect neural pathways in the brain, improve speech ability, and lift general spirits. In a recent interview she was rumored to be working closely in a university in the United States to help develop a program for music therapy and the management of pain, something she has spoken about establishing in the future on her own.
Gardot studied fashion at the Community College of Philadelphia
.
whose driver had ignored a red traffic light. In the accident she suffered serious head and spinal injuries and her pelvis was broken in two places. Because of these severe injuries she was confined to her hospital
bed for a year and had to remain lying on her back. As a further consequence of her injuries she had to re-learn simple tasks such as brushing her teeth and walking. The most noticeable effect of the neural injuries she suffered is that she was left hyper-sensitive to both light and sound, therefore requiring her to wear dark sunglasses at nearly all times to shield her eyes. The accident also resulted in both long and short term memory problems and difficulty with her sense of time. Gardot has described coping with this as like "climbing Mount Everest every day" as she often wakes with no memory of what she has to do that day.
Initially prompted by an attending physician who believed music would help her brain injury drastically improve, Gardot began writing music after her accident and since then often speaks and advocates in favour of using music for therapy. The accident had damaged the neural pathways between the brain's two cortexes which control perception and higher mental function, and made Gardot (in her own words) "a bit of a vegetable." As well as making it very hard for her to speak or communicate properly, she found it difficult to recall the right words to express her feelings.
Music involving listening and making a verbal attempt to sing or hum is thought to help the brain form new pathways. At first, Gardot learned to hum and was eventually able to sing into a tape recorder. She made good progress and was eventually able to write original songs that sometimes referred to her rehabilitation.
For several years after the accident Gardot traveled with a physiotherapist and carried a TENS machine strapped to her waist which released pain reducing impulses.
She was introduced to macrobiotics by a friend who lent her a book on its benefits and she began to experiment and cook for several hours a day. As well as reducing her pain levels, she feels that macrobiotics helped her mental ability to cope with pain, helping her relax as the routine of cooking helped take her mind off her physical condition, and she found she was able to sleep more easily.
to Duke Ellington
and modern groups such as Radiohead
.
During her time in hospital she learned how to play the guitar and began writing songs, which were made available as downloads in iTunes
and released in Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions
in 2005. She began to play these songs at venues in Philadelphia and was spotted by the radio station WXPN
, operated by the University of Pennsylvania
in Philadelphia, which helped to launch Norah Jones
. As well as playing her songs, WXPN encouraged her to assemble a demo, which was quickly picked up by Universal Records
.
Released in 2006 and then re-released by Verve Records
in 2008, her first full-length album was entitled Worrisome Heart
. After meeting her in New York City
in 2008, producer Larry Klein
began working with Gardot and they released her second album, My One and Only Thrill
, on April 28, 2009. From this album, the song "Who Will Comfort Me?" became a top 10 hit at Smooth Jazz
radio. Also in 2009, Gardot released a live EP, Live from SoHo
. Gardot is a recipient of the 2007 VSA International Young Soloists Award.
Bluer Than A Midnight Sky – Beaucoup Blue – Free To Fall
High Night (Alta Noite) – Till Brönner – RIO
If I'm Lucky – Charlie Haden Quartet West – Sophisticated Ladies
My Sweet Darling – Seth Kallen & The Reaction – Exhibit A
A Meditation On War And The Fight For Love – Phil Roy – The Great Longing
Derrière L'arc-En-Ciel/Over the Rainbow – Eddy Mitchell – Grand Ecran
Under My Skin - A 30 second Frank Sinatra cover used in the 2008 Chevy Malibu commercials
. She has, however, performed covers of songs by some well-known songwriters:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, writer and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, though she considers herself a "citizen of the world". She has been influenced by such blues and jazz artists as Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
and George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
as well as Latin music artists such as Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
. Her music has been compared to that of Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
.
Gardot follows the teachings of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, is a macrobiotic cook and humanitarian who often speaks about the benefits of music therapy. She has visited various universities and hospitals to speak about its ability to help reconnect neural pathways in the brain, improve speech ability, and lift general spirits. In a recent interview she was rumored to be working closely in a university in the United States to help develop a program for music therapy and the management of pain, something she has spoken about establishing in the future on her own.
Early life & education
Gardot was born in New Jersey, and was brought up largely by her grandparents. Her grandmother was a Polish immigrant and her mother a photographer who worked and traveled frequently. They moved around often and as a consequence had very few possessions, often living out of suitcases.Gardot studied fashion at the Community College of Philadelphia
Community College of Philadelphia
The Community College of Philadelphia is a community college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The main campus is located at 1700 Spring Garden Street in a building that was the former Philadelphia Mint...
.
Accident & therapy
While cycling in Philadelphia in November 2003 she was hit by a Jeep CherokeeJeep Cherokee (XJ)
The Jeep Cherokee is a unibody compact SUV. It shared the name of the original full-size SJ model, but without a body-on-frame chassis, it set the stage for the modern SUV. Its innovative appearance and sales popularity spawned important imitators as other automakers began to notice that this...
whose driver had ignored a red traffic light. In the accident she suffered serious head and spinal injuries and her pelvis was broken in two places. Because of these severe injuries she was confined to her hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
bed for a year and had to remain lying on her back. As a further consequence of her injuries she had to re-learn simple tasks such as brushing her teeth and walking. The most noticeable effect of the neural injuries she suffered is that she was left hyper-sensitive to both light and sound, therefore requiring her to wear dark sunglasses at nearly all times to shield her eyes. The accident also resulted in both long and short term memory problems and difficulty with her sense of time. Gardot has described coping with this as like "climbing Mount Everest every day" as she often wakes with no memory of what she has to do that day.
Initially prompted by an attending physician who believed music would help her brain injury drastically improve, Gardot began writing music after her accident and since then often speaks and advocates in favour of using music for therapy. The accident had damaged the neural pathways between the brain's two cortexes which control perception and higher mental function, and made Gardot (in her own words) "a bit of a vegetable." As well as making it very hard for her to speak or communicate properly, she found it difficult to recall the right words to express her feelings.
Music involving listening and making a verbal attempt to sing or hum is thought to help the brain form new pathways. At first, Gardot learned to hum and was eventually able to sing into a tape recorder. She made good progress and was eventually able to write original songs that sometimes referred to her rehabilitation.
For several years after the accident Gardot traveled with a physiotherapist and carried a TENS machine strapped to her waist which released pain reducing impulses.
She was introduced to macrobiotics by a friend who lent her a book on its benefits and she began to experiment and cook for several hours a day. As well as reducing her pain levels, she feels that macrobiotics helped her mental ability to cope with pain, helping her relax as the routine of cooking helped take her mind off her physical condition, and she found she was able to sleep more easily.
Music career
Gardot started music lessons at the age of nine and began playing piano in Philadelphia bars at the age of sixteen on Fridays and Saturdays for four hours a night. She insisted on only playing music she liked, ranging from standards from The Mamas & the PapasThe Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
to Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and modern groups such as Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
.
During her time in hospital she learned how to play the guitar and began writing songs, which were made available as downloads in iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and released in Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions
Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions
Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions is the first EP recorded by singer-songwriter Melody Gardot.-History and song information:After being hit by a car and suffering serious injuries in November 2003, Melody Gardot tried music therapy and learned to play the guitar and write her own songs. This...
in 2005. She began to play these songs at venues in Philadelphia and was spotted by the radio station WXPN
WXPN
WXPN is a non-commercial, public radio station operated by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia that broadcasts a music radio format called adult album alternative , along with many other format shows supported all with an indie slant...
, operated by the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in Philadelphia, which helped to launch Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
. As well as playing her songs, WXPN encouraged her to assemble a demo, which was quickly picked up by Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
.
Released in 2006 and then re-released by Verve Records
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
in 2008, her first full-length album was entitled Worrisome Heart
Worrisome Heart
Worrisome Heart is the debut album of jazz singer-songwriter Melody Gardot. It was first released independently in 2006 and later re-released on Verve Records in 2008...
. After meeting her in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 2008, producer Larry Klein
Larry Klein
Larry Klein is a music producer, songwriter and bass guitar player, commonly known for being the frequent musical collaborator, and ex-husband, of Joni Mitchell....
began working with Gardot and they released her second album, My One and Only Thrill
My One and Only Thrill
My One and Only Thrill is the second studio album by American jazz singer–songwriter Melody Gardot, released in the United States on April 28, 2009 by Verve Records. As May 2009, two singles had been released: "Who Will Comfort Me" and "Baby I'm a Fool"...
, on April 28, 2009. From this album, the song "Who Will Comfort Me?" became a top 10 hit at Smooth Jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
radio. Also in 2009, Gardot released a live EP, Live from SoHo
Live from SoHo (Melody Gardot EP)
Live from SoHo is a live EP by jazz singer-songwriter Melody Gardot. It was released exclusively on iTunes on March 24, 2009. It features six tracks that were recorded in early March in New York City, at the Apple Store in SoHo.-Tracklisting:...
. Gardot is a recipient of the 2007 VSA International Young Soloists Award.
Albums
- Some Lessons: The Bedroom SessionsSome Lessons: The Bedroom SessionsSome Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions is the first EP recorded by singer-songwriter Melody Gardot.-History and song information:After being hit by a car and suffering serious injuries in November 2003, Melody Gardot tried music therapy and learned to play the guitar and write her own songs. This...
(2005) - Worrisome HeartWorrisome HeartWorrisome Heart is the debut album of jazz singer-songwriter Melody Gardot. It was first released independently in 2006 and later re-released on Verve Records in 2008...
(2008) (#80 Billboard 200Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, #2 Jazz Albums, #4 Top HeatseekersTop HeatseekersTop Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
, #14 European Jazz Albums) - Live from SoHoLive from SoHo (Melody Gardot EP)Live from SoHo is a live EP by jazz singer-songwriter Melody Gardot. It was released exclusively on iTunes on March 24, 2009. It features six tracks that were recorded in early March in New York City, at the Apple Store in SoHo.-Tracklisting:...
(2009) (#2 Jazz Albums) - My One and Only ThrillMy One and Only ThrillMy One and Only Thrill is the second studio album by American jazz singer–songwriter Melody Gardot, released in the United States on April 28, 2009 by Verve Records. As May 2009, two singles had been released: "Who Will Comfort Me" and "Baby I'm a Fool"...
(2009) (#42 Billboard 200, #2 Jazz Albums, #7 Digital Albums)
Singles
- "Worrisome HeartWorrisome Heart (song)"Worrisome Heart" is a song written and composed by American jazz singer-songwriter Melody Gardot. It was released in as a promo single for her debut album of the same name.-Chart positions:...
" (2008) - "Goodnite" (2008)
- "Quiet Fire" (2008)
- "Who Will Comfort MeWho Will Comfort Me"Who Will Comfort Me" is a song written and composed by American jazz singer-songwriter Melody Gardot. It was released as the lead single for her second studio album My One and Only Thrill. A live rendition of the song was also recorded and released on her Live from SoHo EP.-Song information:The...
" (2009) (#6 on Jazz Songs) - "Baby I'm a FoolBaby I'm a Fool"Baby I'm a Fool" is a song written and composed by American jazz singer-songwriter Melody Gardot. It was released as the second single from her second full-length album, My One and Only Thrill...
" (2009) (#28 on Jazz Songs) - "Your Heart Is As Black As Night" (2011)
Collaborations
Melody Appears on the following songs, via vocals (and occasionally piano/guitar), by other artists:Bluer Than A Midnight Sky – Beaucoup Blue – Free To Fall
High Night (Alta Noite) – Till Brönner – RIO
If I'm Lucky – Charlie Haden Quartet West – Sophisticated Ladies
My Sweet Darling – Seth Kallen & The Reaction – Exhibit A
A Meditation On War And The Fight For Love – Phil Roy – The Great Longing
Derrière L'arc-En-Ciel/Over the Rainbow – Eddy Mitchell – Grand Ecran
Under My Skin - A 30 second Frank Sinatra cover used in the 2008 Chevy Malibu commercials
Covers of songs by other songwriters
As she is usually considered a jazz singer, Gardot is unusual in her output of original songs so early in her career. Nearly all of the songs on her recordings are original work, although some were co-written with Jesse HarrisJesse Harris
Jesse Harris is a Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter. He has collaborated with several musical artists including Norah Jones, Melody Gardot, Madeleine Peyroux, Nikki Yanofsky, and Lizz Wright.-Early life and education:...
. She has, however, performed covers of songs by some well-known songwriters:
- FeverFever (1956 song)"Fever" is a song written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, who used the pseudonym John Davenport. It was originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1956. It has been covered by numerous artists from various musical genres, notably Peggy Lee in 1958....
– Cooley/Blackwell, Peggy LeePeggy LeePeggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
(live performance during 2007 London Jazz Festival Ella Fitzgerald tribute concert) - Over the RainbowOver the Rainbow"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
– Harold ArlenHarold ArlenHarold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
, Yip HarburgYip HarburgEdgar Yipsel Harburg , known as E.Y. Harburg or Yip Harburg, was an American popular song lyricist who worked with many well-known composers...
(My One and Only ThrillMy One and Only ThrillMy One and Only Thrill is the second studio album by American jazz singer–songwriter Melody Gardot, released in the United States on April 28, 2009 by Verve Records. As May 2009, two singles had been released: "Who Will Comfort Me" and "Baby I'm a Fool"...
; numerous live performances during 2008-2010) - Ain't No SunshineAin't No Sunshine"Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers from his 1971 album Just as I Am, produced by Booker T. Jones. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar and Al Jackson, Jr. on drums, as well as Withers on lead vocals and guitar. The song was released as a single in September...
– Bill WithersBill WithersWilliam Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...
(My One and Only ThrillMy One and Only ThrillMy One and Only Thrill is the second studio album by American jazz singer–songwriter Melody Gardot, released in the United States on April 28, 2009 by Verve Records. As May 2009, two singles had been released: "Who Will Comfort Me" and "Baby I'm a Fool"...
, Deluxe Edition; several live performances during 2008-2009) - Blue Motel Room – Joni MitchellJoni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
(performed live in Philadelphia in 2006) - Edith and the Kingpin – Joni MitchellJoni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
(performed on Live From Abbey RoadLive from Abbey RoadLive from Abbey Road is a 12-part, one-hour performance series/documentary that began filming its first season during 2006 at Abbey Road Studios in London. Season 2 was filmed between 2007 and 2008, season 3 was filmed in 2009 and Season 4 was filmed in 2011...
in 2008, with Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
and Wayne ShorterWayne ShorterWayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
) - La Chanson des Vieux Amants – Jacques BrelJacques BrelJacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson...
(performed live in Paris in 2009, with David Preston on guitar) - BecauseBecause (The Beatles song)"Because" is a song written by John Lennon and recorded by The Beatles in 1969. It features a prominent three-part vocal harmony by Lennon, McCartney and George Harrison, overdubbed three times to make nine voices in all...
– The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
(performed on Live from Abbey RoadLive from Abbey RoadLive from Abbey Road is a 12-part, one-hour performance series/documentary that began filming its first season during 2006 at Abbey Road Studios in London. Season 2 was filmed between 2007 and 2008, season 3 was filmed in 2009 and Season 4 was filmed in 2011...
in 2009, with David Preston on guitar) - Get Out of TownGet Out of Town"Get Out of Town" is a 1938 popular song written by Cole Porter, for his musical Leave It to Me!, where it was introduced by Tamara Drasin.-Notable recordings:*Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook...
– Cole PorterCole PorterCole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
(performed live in Paris in 2010 in two different arrangements, and on BBC Four Sessions 2010) - Someday My Prince Will Come – Larry Morey (lyrics) & Frank Churchill (performed on BBC Four Sessions 2010)
- SummertimeSummertime (song)"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP....
– DuBose HeywardDuBose HeywardEdwin DuBose Heyward was a white American author best known for his 1925 novel Porgy. This novel was the basis for the play by the same name and, in turn, the opera Porgy and Bess with music by George Gershwin.-Life and career:Heyward was born in 1885 in Charleston, South Carolina and was a...
(lyrics) & George GershwinGeorge GershwinGeorge Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
(numerous live performances in 2010 summer tour, often in medley with 'Fever')