• Name: Irving Berlin
• Birthday: 05/11/1888
• Birth Place: Tyumen, Russia
• Died: 09/22/1989
• Place of Death: New York, NY
• Period: Modern
• Genre: Classical

Title	Release
Composers on Broadway: Irving Berlin	2006
White Christmas [Original Studio Cast]	2006
Berlin for Brass WA	2002
Musicality of Berlin	2002
The Great Irving Berlin	1995
Great American Composers: Irving Berlin	1989
(2) A Couple of Swells, song (from "Easter Parade")
A Little Bungalow, song (from "The Cocoanuts") WA	2003
A Lovely Day for a Walk, song (from "Blue Skies") WA
(6) A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody, song (from "Ziegfeld Follies of 1919")
(53) Alexander's Ragtime Band, song
(4) All Alone, song (from "The Music Box Revue of 1924-1925")
All By Myself, song
(29) Always, song (from "The Cocoanuts")	1996
(2) An Orange Grove in California, song (from "The Music Box Revue of 1923-1924")
(3) Annie Get Your Gun, film score
(51) Annie Get Your Gun, musical
(3) Any Bonds Today, song	2009
(9) Anything You Can Do, song (from "Annie Get your Gun")
Araby, song	1995
(4) As Thousands Cheer, revue
(2) At The Devil's Ball [final version], song	1993
At The Devil's Ball [first version], song	1993
(4) Because I Love You, song WA	1926
Bells, song (from "Ziegfeld Follies of 1920")
Better Luck Next Time, song (from "Easter Parade") WA	1947
(4) Blue Skies, film score WA
(34) Blue Skies, song (originally interpolated into the R.Rodgers musical "Betsy")	1996
Bring on the Pepper, song (from "The Music Box Revue of 1922-1923")
But Where Are You?, song (from "Follow the Fleet")
(3) C-U-B-A, song (from "Blue Skies")
(12) Call Me Madam, musical
Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon, song WA	1985
Can You Use Any Money Today?, song (from "Call Me Madam") WA	2002
Carefree, film score
(9) Change Partners, song (from "Carefree")	1981
(30) Cheek to Cheek, song (from "Top Hat")	1996
(2) Cohen Owes Me Ninety-Seven Dollars, song	2002
(6) Count Your Blessings, song (from "White Christmas")
(5) Doin' What Comes Naturally, song (from "Annie Get your Gun")
Down Where the Jack O'Lanterns Grow (from "The Cohan Review of 1918")	1995
Dream On Little Soldier Boy, song (from "Yip-Yap Yaphank")	1995
Drum Crazy, song
(9) Easter Parade, film score
(10) Easter Parade, song (from "As Thousands Cheer")	1996
(7) Everybody's Doing It Now, song
Face the Music, musical WA	2007
Fiddle, Dee, Dee, song WA	1912
(2) For the Very First Time, song	1958
(5) For Your Country and My Country, song
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, song (from "The Cocoanuts")
(2) Get Thee Behind Me Satan, song (from "Follow the Fleet")
(12) Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, song (from "Miss Liberty")	2003
(80) God Bless America, song	2008
Grizzly Bear, song WA
(3) Happy Holidays, song (from "White Christmas") WA

The most commercially successful of all American songwriters during the first half of the twentieth century, Irving Berlin was neither American-born nor able to read or write music. Berlin could play only the black keys of the piano, using a special lever to transpose out of F sharp and having an assistant transcribe the music. Born Israel Baline in Russia to a cantor and his wife, the child never received any real musical education; when the family came to the United States, his father abandoned music. Israel sang for pennies on the street and eventually got a job as a singing waiter, attracting attention with his risqué parodies of popular songs. His first published effort, "Marie From Sunny Italy," was a 1907 collaboration with the café's pianist; it was on this song's title page that he first used the name Irving Berlin. In 1908 came "Dorando," the first of some 1,500 songs for which Berlin would write both the words and music. His early songs were very much period pieces, ethnic and novelty songs, and the key to Berlin's success would be his ability to adapt to whatever style was popular at the time. His career ended only when he was unable to come to terms with rock & roll . Berlin's first major hit was "Alexander's Ragtime Band" in 1911. Soon, he was contributing to Broadway revues. Berlin was instrumental in establishing ASCAP, the composers' society, in 1914, and in 1919, he formed his own music publishing firm. In the 1920s, Berlin wrote such tremendously popular songs as "All by Myself," "Always," and "What'll I Do?" Hollywood beckoned as soon as talkies developed; Berlin's "Blue Skies" was incorporated into The Jazz Singer. Most notable among Berlin's film efforts was his work for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers vehicles, starting with Top Hat. During World War II, his wistful "White Christmas" became a top seller, and Berlin's career peaked in 1945 with the musical Annie Get Your Gun, which spawned "There's No Business Like Show Business." After the 1950 Broadway hit Call Me Madam, Berlin's career went into a slow decline and he essentially withdrew after the failure of his 1962 show Mr. President. Nevertheless, he could look back with satisfaction on a career that included the best-selling single in American history ("White Christmas"), the theme of the entertainment industry ("There's No Business Like Show Business"), and the "shadow" national anthem ("God Bless America"). ~ James Reel, All Music Guide