Jerome Kern: A Biography

Sometimes, the best way to learn about America, it to read about people that have had a major influence on American culture. Kern is a good example of a composer that produced a unique collection of show tunes that eventually became some of the most loved standards of all time. The interesting facts exposed in this book are: Kern had one of the better literary book collections and also collected coins and eventually silver antiques. The author documents his success in New York, his dominance in musicals, his success in Great Britain, and how he eventually lands in Hollywood where he does a few movie sound tracks and works with movie greats like Fred Astaire, Ginger Rodgers, Bob Hope, and others. Kern loved Irvin Berlin and had somewhat of a falling with George Gershwin who apparently idolized Jerome Kern early on in his career. Jerome Kern also worked with some of the best lyricists of all time.