George M. Cohan

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

George M. Cohan was born in 1878 in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Irish Catholic parents. His parents travelled around as vaudeville performers, and George was on stage as a baby. At eight he played the violin, and then he danced. With his father, mother and sister he formed the family act The Four Cohans, which toured America from 1890. As a teenager he was already writing sketches and songs for the group, and in 1893 he sold his first songs to a publisher.

Music and breakthrough

His first big success on Broadway was the 1904 musical Little Johnny Jones, which included Give My Regards to Broadway and The Yankee Doodle Boy. After that he wrote, composed and produced dozens of shows, and often appeared in them himself. In all he published more than three hundred songs, including You're a Grand Old Flag and Harrigan. His song Over There became the most popular American song of the First World War. In the years before that war he was called the man who owned Broadway.

Influence

Cohan was one of the most important songwriters of Tin Pan Alley. His songs stand out for their catchy melodies and clever lyrics, and they are often proud and patriotic. He is regarded as the father of American musical comedy. His life was filmed in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), the year in which he died. In 1968 the musical George M! followed. In Times Square in New York there is a statue of him.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1968George M! (1968 Original Broadway Cast) (soundtrack)
• 1991Yankee Doodle Dandy
• 1992Yankee Doodle Dandy (soundtrack)
• 2002Yankee Doodle Dandy (soundtrack)
• ?The Fabulous George M. Cohan

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Mixtape 1: The Origins of Pop Music^NL Reader