Israel Isidore Baline
May 11, 1888 in Mogilev, Russia
September 22, 1989 in New York City
Irving's family immigrated to America in 1893. He wrote his first song for a cafe owner, and the bug took hold. At first he wrote only lyrics, then gradually composed the music as well.
He was a self-taught pianist with a likeness for the black keys. Hits like "Alexander's Ragtime Band" helped propel him to the heights of songwriting stardom.
Success followed on Broadway and in Hollywood, with classics like "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade" featuring big names such as Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, and Ginger Rogers.
Irving Berlin died of a heart attack at the ripe old age of 101.
Although Berlin didn't compose music for the piano per se, there aren't many pianists who won't have played his tunes from time to time. The song "White Christmas" won Berlin the Academy Award for Best Music in an Original Song, one of seven Oscar nominations he received during his career. He is the only winner in the history of the Oscars to find his own name in the envelope on the night of the award ceremony.
He built his own theater, the Music Box, after the war, as a place to showcase his latest songs. The theater is still in use today.
Berlin wrote hundreds of songs that turn up time and time again in various guises, including "Puttin' On The Ritz", "Let's Face the Music and Dance", "God Bless America", "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade."
