Great American Songbook

The Great American Songbook is an informal term referring to a period of American popular music songwriting that took place between the 1930s and 1950s. It is considered by many to be the peak of the popular songwriting craft.

Related Topics:
American - Popular music - Songwriting - 1930s - 1950s

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Songwriters considered part of this group include:

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• Cole Porter (Night And Day, I?ve Got You Under My Skin, It's De-Lovely)
• George and Ira Gershwin (Someone To Watch Over Me, S?Wonderful, Summertime)
• Jerome Kern (Ol' Man River, The Way You Look Tonight, All The Things You Are)
• Irving Berlin (White Christmas, Unforgettable)
• Rodgers and Hart (Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, My Romance, Have You Met Miss Jones, My Funny Valentine)
• Harold Arlen (Over The Rainbow, Stormy Weather)
• Johnny Mercer (One for My Baby (and One More for the Road))
• Hoagy Carmichael (Star Dust, Georgia On My Mind, The Nearness Of You)
• Duke Ellington (In A Sentimental Mood, It Don?t Mean A Thing, Satin Doll, Mood Indigo)
• Henry Mancini (Moon River, Days Of Wine And Roses)
• Johnny Mandel (The Shadow of Your Smile)
• Rodgers and Hammerstein (Oh What a Beautiful Mornin', Shall We Dance?, The Sound of Music)

Characteristically these songs feature strong melodies, thoughtful lyrics incorporating sophisticated rhymes, and a skillful thematic connection between music and words.

Related Topics:
Melodies - Lyrics - Rhyme

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Over the years a number of singers have explicitly recorded or performed large parts of the Great American Songbook, beginning with Ella Fitzgerald's popular and influential Sings the ... Songbook series in the 1950s, Tony Bennett at different times in his career, and continuing in more recent years with Michael Feinstein, Rod Stewart,Joni Mitchell, Queen Latifa and Boz Scaggs.

Related Topics:
Singer - Ella Fitzgerald - Tony Bennett - Michael Feinstein - Rod Stewart - Joni Mitchell - Queen Latifa - Boz Scaggs

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Great American Songbook: See also ►