Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist, widely considered one of the greatest and most enduring songwriters in American history.  Berlin pushed the evolution of popular music in the transition from ragtime and jazz to the golden age of musicals.

Irving Berlin, a one of the greatest
composers in American history

Berlin was born to a family of Jewish immigrants in New York City.  He published his first song in 1907 at the age of 19, and wrote his first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band," in 1911.  "Alexander's Ragtime Band" sparked an international dance craze that reached all the way to Russia.

A group of modern dancers replicating the dance craze
sparked by "Alexander's Ragtime Band"

Over his entire career, Berlin wrote over 800 songs, many of which are classics today.  "Blue Skies," written in 1926, reflected the attitude of the Roaring Twenties with its jazzy melody and lyrics about the blue skies ahead.  "Puttin' on the Ritz" is an American classic, written in 1927 but famously covered by the band Taco in 1982.  "White Christmas," written in 1942, is an enduring Christmas carol.  At the time, its lyrics struck many of the soldiers fighting in WWII and their families, waiting to be reunited.

White Christmas, one of Berlin's songs
with numerous covers 

Berlin notably wrote the patriotic standard "God Bless America" in 1918.  Written in the American vernacular, it reached the American populace, whom Berlin saw as the soul of the country.  On November 10, 1938, Kate Smith performed the first broadcast radio performance of "God Bless America."  This patriotic song touched many Americans, horrified by the events of Kristallnacht and seeking something they could rely on.  "God Bless America" is an American classic that has instilled a sense of patriotism and community in Americans for generations.

Singer Kate Smith introduces "God Bless America"