Irving Berlin has been called—by George Gershwin, among others—the greatest songwriter of the golden age of American popular song.

James Kaplan, author of the Jewish Lives biography Irving Berlin: New York Genius, underscores Berlin’s unique brilliance as a composer, his witty, wily, and tough Jewish immigrant experience, and his continued relevance in American popular culture today.

Music in this Episode:
Ethel Merman - There's No Business Like Show Business
Fred Astaire - Puttin' on the Ritz
Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald - Cheek to Cheek
Frank Sinatra - Cheek to Cheek
Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett - Cheek to Cheek
Bing Crosby - Play a Simple Melody
Nat King Cole - I Love a Piano
Billie Holiday - Isn't This a Lovely Day
Kate Smith - God Bless America
Sam Cooke - The Song Is Ended (But the Melody Lingers on)
Ethel Waters - Supper Time
The Drifters - White Christmas
Tony Bennett - When I Lost You
Anita O'Day - Let's Face the Music and Dance
Eva Cassidy - Blue Skies