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Who wrote summertime?
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"Summertime" is an aria composed in 1934 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, and Ira Gershwin. [1]
- 1935 – Porgy and Bess. Video. Many people think of Porgy and Bess as a musical, when in fact it was written by Gershwin (who came from a musical theatre background) to be his very first opera.
- 1936 – Billie Holiday. Video. A year after the opera’s premiere, a 21 year old jazz singer called Billie Holiday recorded a version of ‘Summertime’; the first cover of the song that would reach the US charts.
- 1956 – Mahaila Jackson. Video. Dubbed ‘The Queen of Gospel’, Mahaila Jackson became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world by singing ‘God’s music’.
- 1957 – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Video. Up until the release of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s Jazz album, Porgy and Bess, ‘Summertime’ was still relatively unknown.
- Janis Joplin (1969) This is perhaps one of the most unlikely versions of the Gershwin classic, but it somehow musically works. The combination of Joplin’s desperate, heartfelt vocals accompanied by an earnest blues outfit (Big Brother and Holding Company) does do justice to the original sentiments of the song.
- Miles Davis (1958) This adaption of Summertime comes at a time in Miles Davis’s career when he was collaborating with the legendary jazz musician Gil Evans.
- Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald (1957) It would be a major oversight in an article such as this one not to include the Fitzgerald and Armstrong version of this song.
- Willie Nelson (2016) Here is a quite different interpretation of Summertime, this time by the ever popular Willie Nelson. Nelson is perhaps better known for his contributions to Country music and this arrangement has a subtle blues-country feel throughout that compliments the original song.
Dec 2, 2023 · George Gershwin’s “Summertime” is one of the most recognizable and beloved songs in American music history. It was first introduced in the opera Porgy and Bess in 1935, and has since been covered by countless artists in a variety of genres. But what inspired Gershwin to write such a timeless melody? Table of Contents.
“Summertime” is the famous aria which opens George Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess. It’s initially sung by Clara as a lullaby to her baby, though it’s later reprised by Bess.
Sep 10, 2018 · Paul Robeson, the great singer, actor, and civil rights activist, recorded the song in the 1930s. In his version, we could easily replace the words to "Motherless Child" with those to "Summertime" to hear how the original tune was subtly changed.
Sep 10, 2014 · The story behind the song "Summertime" begins in 1926, when the popular songwriter George Gershwin read the novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward.
