Cole Porter Tickled The Ivories With Grace Drive To Succeed: Passion and perseverance led this composer to produce Broadway and film hits for four decades.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)

Byline: J. BONASIA

Cole Porter had no time for convention.

Others wrote upbeat tunes, but Porter disdained the sappy lyrics they included. He wanted witticism. He wanted humor. And he was determined to bring that out in his music.

His drive changed the nature of popular music. Few composers had a deeper impact on 20th century American music than Porter. He cranked out Broadway and film hits for four decades, including such classics as "Night and Day," "Begin the Beguine," "I Get a Kick Out of You," and "I've Got You Under My Skin."

Robert Kimball, artistic adviser to the Cole Porter Musical and Literary Property Trusts, says Porter was one of the first people to write candidly about love.

"Porter was a heroic figure because he advanced the cause of literate, witty lyrics," Kimball said. "He made it possible for songwriters today to be more daring."

Porter was the only surviving child of Samuel Porter, a druggist, and Kate Cole, a wealthy landowner in Peru, Ind. Porter's mother nurtured her son's musical interests, giving him piano lessons and paying to publish his early songs.