Musicians - Cole Porter

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	Musicians - Cole Porter

Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter from Indiana.

His works include the musical comedies Kiss Me, Kate (1948) (based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew), Fifty Million Frenchmen and Anything Goes, as well as songs like "Night and Day", "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "I've Got You Under My Skin". He was noted for his sophisticated (sometimes ribald) lyrics, clever rhymes, and complex forms. Irving Berlin used to refer to "Begin the Beguine" as "that long, long song."

The early years

Porter was born in Peru, Indiana, into a wealthy Protestant family; his grandfather was a coal and timber speculator. Music was one of his escapes to get away from the iron hand of his grandfather, J.O. Cole entertained people on boats and got lost in the music, which was his life. His mother started Cole Porter in musical training at an early age, and Porter learned the violin at age 6, the piano at age 8, and he wrote his first operetta (with help from his mother) at age 10. Cole's mother, Kate Porter, recognized and supported her son's talents. Kate had registered him as two years younger than he actually was to make him look like an advanced child. Porter's grandfather wanted the boy to become a lawyer, and with that career in mind, Porter attended Worcester Academy and then Yale University beginning in 1909, (at Yale he became a member of the famous secret society, Scroll and Key and sang as a member of the original line-up of the Whiffenpoofs) and Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and spent a year at Harvard Law School in 1913. Story tells it that it was the dean of the law school who, in frustration over Cole's lack of performance in the classroom, suggested tongue-in-cheek that Cole "not waste his time" studying law, but instead focus on his music. Taking this "suggestion" to heart, Cole transferred to the School of Music. After realizing that he wanted to concentrate on music, he transferred to Harvard's School of Music. Porter's first Broadway production, in 1916, See America First (book by Lawrason Riggs), was a flop, closing after two weeks.

In 1915, Cole’s first song to appear on Broadway in the revue titled Hands Up was "Esmeralda". He soon started to feel the crunch of rejection, as other revues he wrote for were all colossal flops. After his first Broadway failure, Cole banished himself to Paris, France. Selling songs and living off an allowance partly from his grandfather and partly from his mother, he was writing and selling songs and holding “glittering soirees” when the U.S. declared war on Germany in 1917. He traveled and lived all over Europe, living very freely and really savoring the good life around him. He lived lavishly and partied with some of the best known intellectuals and artists in Europe. Cole, believing he would continue to lead his charmed life, did not register for the draft (although he was 26, 24 according to school records).He loved to tell people back home that he had joined the French Foreign Legion, but in reality, he went to work for the Duryea Relief Fund. Cole had a closet full of various tailormade military uniforms that he wore when the mood suited him. He set up a luxury apartment in Paris. His Relief Fund duties left him plenty of time to lead a playboy lifestyle. In 1918, in Paris, he met Linda Lee Thomas (1883 – 1954), a rich Louisville, Kentucky-born divorcée several years his senior; they were married in 1919. She was extremely wealthy, beautiful, shared a love of travel, an American divorcee', and also lied about her age. Linda was a brilliant hostess with an innate sense of style and class, and Cole loved learning these tastes and disciplines from her. Despite his fairly known homosexual endeavors, they married as a happy contrast to the abusive marriage Linda had just left, making Cole an even wealthier man.

His musicals and individual songs soon gained him popularity; many were written specifically with Fred Astaire and Ethel Merman in mind. Another important role Mr. Porter played was advancing new talent. He had a keen eye for talent, which he grabbed and showcased. His revues, La Revue in Paris and Paris in New York were successes and some of his most memorable songs came into existence. His next revues were harshly seen; what did well in America did not necessarily do well overseas and vice versa. He went traveling with Linda and friends when he needed a break, and although the ‘20s were not terribly successful for Cole, the '30s turned around.

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Musicians - Cole Porter

The early years

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