Porter, Cole (1891-1964), was an American songwriter famous for his witty lyrics and imaginative melodies. Porter’s most popular songs are sophisticated, satirical, and sometimes silly. They include “Begin the Beguine,” “Night and Day,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Anything Goes,” “Love for Sale,” and “You’re the Top.”
Cole Albert Porter was born on June 9, 1891, in Peru, Indiana. He showed an early talent for music and had a song published when he was only 11 years old. Several more of his songs were published while he was a student at Yale and Harvard universities.
In 1920 and 1921, Porter studied music in Paris. His experiences there provided him with the material for Paris (1928), his first Broadway success. He used the life of wealthy people as the theme for many of his musicals. These shows include Fifty Million Frenchmen (1929), Gay Divorce (1932), and Anything Goes (1934).
In 1937, Porter injured his legs severely in a horseback-riding accident. He was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life but, despite constant pain, wrote many more successful musicals. Among them were Du Barry Was a Lady (1939), Panama Hattie (1940), Mexican Hayride (1944), Kiss Me, Kate (1948), Can-Can (1953), and Silk Stockings (1955). He also wrote the scores for the motion pictures Born to Dance (1936), Rosalie (1937), and High Society (1956). He died on Oct. 15, 1964.
