The Memory of All That: The Life of George Gershwin.(Book review)

[??] The Memory of All That: The Life of George Gershwin, by Joan Peyser, Hal Leonard Corporation (www.halleonard.com), 2007, 320pp.; $17.95

Will the real George Gershwin please stand up? Almost from the moment of his tragic and untimely death in 1937 at age 39, the image bequeathed to the public of this icon of American popular music was that of a suave, self-assured, successful musical genius perpetually surrounded by adoring women and devoted fans. While this romantic notion of Gershwin is wonderfully appealing, it is definitely not the whole picture, according to Peyser.

As any biographical researcher knows, truth and accuracy about a celebrity is often sanitized through the filters of those who have a stake in protecting and promoting the memory of that celebrity. In the case of George Gershwin, much of the task of defining his legacy fell to two individuals who, for almost 50 years, provided most of what we have been allowed to know about the composer. Those two people were Ira Gershwin, George's older brother and primary lyricist, and Ira's wife Leonore. A respected biographer, Peyser maintains that the edited version of Gershwin left to the public by Ira and Leonore bears little resemblance to the real person. Her purpose in writing this book was not to destroy the romantic image we all know and love, but simply to fill in the gaps ...