Scoreload

American composer known as a founding father of modern American musical theatre, renowned for integrating music with narrative in Broadway shows.Born in New York City, Kern composed over 700 songs for more than 100 stage works and films. His revolutionary musical 'Show Boat' (1927) redefined Broadway. He won two Academy Awards for Best Original Song and influenced generations of composers.

• Kern nearly drowned at age 5 after falling off a pier, leading to lifelong hydrophobia. His mother taught him piano during his recovery.
• His musical 'Show Boat' broke conventions by addressing racial inequality and featuring an integrated plot—unprecedented in 1920s musical theatre.
• Kern won Oscars for 'The Way You Look Tonight' (1936) and 'The Last Time I Saw Paris' (1941), the latter written after Nazi occupation of Paris moved him.
• He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while walking in New York City in 1945, dying days later at age 60. Irving Berlin famously objected to lowering Broadway lights in his honor, citing Kern's humility.