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Cole Porter

Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film.

Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, Porter defied his grandfather's wishes for him to practice law and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn to musical theatre. After a slow start, he began to achieve success in the 1920s, and by the 1930s he was one of the major songwriters for the Broadway musical stage. Unlike many successful Broadway composers, Porter wrote the lyrics as well as the music for his songs.

After a serious horseback riding accident in 1937, Porter was left disabled and in constant pain, but he continued to work. His shows of the early 1940s did not contain the lasting hits of his best work of the 1920s and 1930s, but in 1948 he made a triumphant comeback with his most successful musical, Kiss Me, Kate. It won the first Tony Award for Best Musical.

Porter's other musicals include Fifty Million Frenchmen, DuBarry Was a Lady, Anything Goes, Can-Can and Silk Stockings. His numerous hit songs include "Night and Day", "Begin the Beguine", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "Well, Did You Evah!", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and "You're the Top". He also composed scores for films from the 1930s to the 1950s, including Born to Dance (1936), which featured the song "You'd Be So Easy to Love"; Rosalie (1937), which featured "In the Still of the Night"; High Society (1956), which included "True Love"; and Les Girls (1957).

Birth and Death Data: Born 1891 (Peru), Died October 15, 1964 (Santa Monica)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1916 - 1956

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, vocalist, piano, songwriter

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 276-300 of 325 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick E7035-E7037 10-in. 1/26/1928 Let’s misbehave The Bluebirds Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take E7037) composer, lyricist  
Brunswick E21868-E21870 10-in. 3/14/1927 I’m in love again Ben Bernie ; Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet; without vocal (take E21870) composer, lyricist  
Brunswick E22194-E22196 10-in. 3/31/1927 I’m in love again Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer, lyricist  
Brunswick E25364-E25365 10-in. 11/30/1927 Let’s misbehave Lee Sims Piano solo composer  
Brunswick E25744-E25746 10-in. 12/23/1927 Let’s misbehave Ben Bernie ; Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet; without vocal (take E25746) composer, lyricist  
Brunswick E26855-E26856 10-in. 3/7/1928 Let’s misbehave Banjo Buddy ; Banjo Buddy Male vocal solo, with banjo and orchestra composer, lyricist  
Brunswick E31686-E31687 10-in. Dec. 1929 You’ve got that thing Colonial Club Orchestra ; Dick Robertson Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) composer, lyricist  
Brunswick C5188 10-in. Jan. 1930 What is this thing called love? Ben Bernie Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) composer, lyricist  
Brunswick B20105 10-in. 10/21/1936 Easy to love Billie Holiday ; Teddy Wilson Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Edison 7016 10-in. 11/11/1919 Old fashioned garden Louise Terrell Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist, composer  
Edison 7059 10-in. 12/11/1919 Old fashioned garden Helen Clark Female vocal solo and vocal chorus, with orchestra lyricist, composer  
Edison 11622 10-in. 4/1/1927 I'm in love again J. Donald Parker Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Edison 11683 10-in. 5/4/1927 I'm in love again Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with piano composer, lyricist  
Edison 19004 10-in. 1/11/1929 Let's do it (Let's fall in love) B. A. Rolfe Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Edison N-695 10-in. 1/11/1929 Let's do it (Let's fall in love) B. A. Rolfe Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Gramophone 0B4674 10-in. 10/12/1933 Experiment Al Bowlly ; Ray Noble Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Gramophone 0B5136 10-in. On or before 10/18/1933 Solomon Elisabeth Welch Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer, lyricist  
Gramophone 0B5137 10-in. On or before 10/18/1933 The physician Gertrude Lawrence Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer, lyricist  
Gramophone 0B5138 10-in. On or before 10/18/1933 Experiment Gertrude Lawrence Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer, lyricist  
Gramophone 0B5139 10-in. On or before 10/24/1933 Nymph errant Gertrude Lawrence Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer, lyricist  
Gramophone 0B5380 10-in. On or before 10/11/1933 It's bad for me Gertrude Lawrence Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer, lyricist  
Gramophone 0B5381 10-in. On or before 10/11/1933 How could we be wrong? Gertrude Lawrence Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer, lyricist  
Atlantic 572 10-in. 2/27/1951 I've got you under my skin Frank "Floorshow" Culley composer  
RCA (International) 2E5VB-1108 10-in. before 8/16/1955 Devi fuggir Corrado Lojacono ; Orchestra Riz Ortolani Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Decca 69809 10-in. 10/13/1941 A little rumba numba Hildegarde composer  
(Results 276-300 of 325 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Porter, Cole," accessed November 12, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102688.

Porter, Cole. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102688.

"Porter, Cole." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 12 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102688

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