Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989), born Israel Baline in Imperial Russia, was a Jewish-American songwriter.^[1]

Irving Berlin
Berlin in 1948
Background information
Birth name	Israel Isidore Baline (Beilin)
Born	May 11, 1888 probably Mogilev, Russia (now Belarus)
Died	September 22, 1989 (aged 101) New York City, New York, United States
Genres	Broadway musicals, revues, show tunes
Occupation(s)	Songwriter, composer, lyricist
Years active	1907 – 1962

Alexander's Ragtime Band, Edison Amberol cylinder, 1911

Selected works

Berlin's first popular success was "Alexander's Ragtime Band."^[1]

In 1938, Kate Smith made "God Bless America" a popular hit.^[1]

In 1942, Berlin won the Academy Award for the best original song in the movie "Holiday Inn". The song was "White Christmas.".^[1] Bing Crosby recorded the song. This became "the best-selling record of all time."^[2]

Broadway musicals written by Berlin included "Annie Get Your Gun" and "Call me Madam."^[1]