The Indispensable Cole Porter by Dave Hastings

Born in the small midwestern town of Peru, Indiana in 1891, Cole Albert Porter grew up to become one of the most proficient and beloved composers in Broadway history. Coming from a wealthy family, Porter defied his grandfather’s wishes for him to practice law and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn to musical theater. After a slow start, he began to achieve some success in the 1920’s. Unlike many Broadway composers, Porter wrote the lyrics as well as the music for his songs. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics including “Night and Day,” “What Is This Thing Called Love?,” “You’re the Top,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” and “Don’t Fence Me In.”

After a serious horseback riding accident in 1937, Porter was left disabled and in constant pain, but he continued to work. His shows of the early 1940’s did not contain the lasting hits of his best work from the 1920’s and 30’s, but in 1948 he made a triumphant comeback with his most successful musical, Kiss Me Kate, which won the very first Tony Award for Best Musical. He continued to write for both Broadway and films well into the 1950’s, however in 1958 after 34 operations, his right leg had to be amputated and replaced with an artificial limb. Porter never wrote another song after the amputation and spent the remaining six years of his life in relative seclusion, seeing only intimate friends. He died of kidney failure at age 73 in 1964.

Some of Cole Porter’s best-known Broadway musicals include Fifty Million Frenchmen, DuBarry Was A Lady, Anything Goes, Can-Can and Silk Stockings. Cole Porter is the featured composer this month on Broadway Rhythm, Sunday nights at 8:00.