George Gershwin was a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn in 1898. Initially he worked in ragtime, jazz and other popular idioms, though always wanted to be a concert pianist. This wish was hampered by his not being very good at reading music! He wrote many songs and shows, often in conjunction with his brother Ira as lyricist. Gradually he moved across the popular / serious music divide, and his later music includes a piano concerto and a fine opera - Porgy and Bess. Several serious composers such as Ravel and Schonberg thought very highly of his work. He died in 1937.

"Strike up the Band" is a musical he wrote in 1927, with words by his brother Ira.