Both the definitive biography of the Gershwin brothers and a lavishly illustrated chronicle of the American era their music and lyrics embodied, The Gershwin Yearscelebrates the musical achievements of George (1898 1937) and Ira (1896 1983) while offering a revealing inside look at their lives. The brothers drew inspiration from its varied faces#151;black culture fromPorgie and Bess, the frantic sophistication of the 1920s for such musical comedies asFunny FaceandGirlCrazy, the tumult of American politics for the satiricalOf Thee I Sing. From George's Tin Pan Alley days as a song plugger and Ira's first attempts at lyric writing to their conquest of Broadway and Hollywood, from their collaborations and George's solo compositions (Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F, andAn American in Paris) to George's death from a brain tumor and Ira's later work with Kern, Weill, and Arlen, The Gershwin Yearspresents an authoritative, visually stunning, and altogether delightful account of the "Wright Brothers" of American music. | The Gershwin Years by Lawrence D. Stewart, Paperback | Indigo Chapters