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George and Ira Gershwin

American composer George Gershwin (1898-1937) and his elder brother and collaborator, lyricist Ira Gershwin (1896-1893), filled the American songbook with such haunting and unforgettable melodies as "Summertime," "I Got Rhythm," "Embraceable You," and "'S Wonderful." The sons of Russian immigrants, the Gershwin brothers worked both together and separately to combine their talents on a succession of Broadway musicals, including Porgy and Bess, Girl Crazy, and Lady, Be Good! Their 1931 show, Of Thee I Sing, was the first musical comedy to win a Pulitzer Prize. The duo also wrote jazz standards, and George Gershwin composed classical works, including the acclaimed "Rhapsody in Blue" (1924), a musical ode to city life.