Jerome Kern (1885–1945)

Author of Show Boat: Original 1988 Studio Cast Recording

About the Author

Jerome Kern was born in New York. In 1904 he became a pianist and a salesman for a publishing company. With his first song, "How'd You Like to Spoon with Me" (1905), Kern achieved success. His success as a composer came with his musical comedy The Red Petticoat (1912). In 1917 Kern produced seven show more shows on Broadway. He composed more than 60 works for the stage and wrote several motion picture scores. Among his most important musical comedies are Very Good, Eddie (1915), Have a Heart (1917), Head over Heels (1918), Stepping Stones (1923), and Sunny (1925). Show Boat (1927) was his most remarkable score and one of the finest American works of its genre. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Jerome David Kern, Jerome Kern (Reader's Digest)

Image credit: Courtesy of the NYPL Digital Gallery (image use requires permission from the New York Public Library)

Works by Jerome Kern

Show Boat [vocal score] (1927) — Composer — 23 copies

Show Boat (Piano/Vocal/Songbook) (1995) 20 copies

Show Boat: Original 1951 Motion Picture Soundtrack (2004) — Composer — 19 copies

The Way You Look Tonight (2002) — Music — 16 copies

Show Boat: 1962 Studio Cast Recording (2000) 16 copies, 1 review

The Jerome Kern Songbook (1955) 13 copies, 1 review

Show Boat: 1993 Toronto Cast Recording 12 copies

Show Boat: Vocal Selection (1987) 12 copies

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (from Roberta) (2012) 12 copies

Jerome Kern Collection (1988) 12 copies

Show Boat: 1966 Lincoln Centre Cast Recording (2009) 9 copies

Ol' Man River (from Show Boat) (1990) 9 copies

Jerome Kern Rediscovered (2000) — Composer — 8 copies

Album of Jerome Kern Songs: Volume Two (1942) 8 copies

All the Things You Are (from Very Warm for May) (1939) 7 copies

Jerome Kern Piano Solos (1988) 7 copies

The Best of Jerome Kern (1993) 6 copies

Make Believe (from Show Boat) (1901) 6 copies

Show Boat: 1971 London Cast Recording (1995) 5 copies

Showboat; Broadway Musical Series — Composer — 5 copies

Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man (from Show Boat) (1927) 4 copies

A Fine Romance (from Swing Time) (1936) 4 copies

Can't Help Singing: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1997) 4 copies

Look For the Silver Lining (from Sally) (1920) 3 copies

Long Ago and Far Away (from Cover Girl) (1944) 3 copies

Very Warm For May: A Musical Comedy (1939 Original Broadway Cast) (1995) 3 copies

All the things you are & more Jerome Kern songs 10 favorite standards (2005) 3 copies

Lovely To Look At: Original MGM Soundtrack 3 copies

Bill (from Show Boat) 3 copies

Leave it to Jane 3 copies, 1 review

Lovely to Look At (from Roberta) (1935) 3 copies

Music of Jerome Kern 3 copies

Silver Linings: Songs by Jerome Kern (2010) 2 copies

Jerome Kern The complete organ player (1990) 2 copies

The Way You Look Tonight (from Swingtime) (1936) 2 copies, 1 review

Jerome Kern Flutes & Percussion [Vinyl LP Record] 2 copies

Show boat and Lovely to look at : Selections from MGM Technicolor film. 2 copies

The Jessye Norman Collection (1989) 2 copies

'Twas Not So Long Ago from "Sweet Adeline" (1929) 2 copies

She Didn't Say "Yes" (From the musical The Cat And The Fiddle) 2 copies

All the Things You Are from "Very Warm for May" (1940) 2 copies

Capitol Sings Jerome Kern: The Song Is You (1992) 2 copies

Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man 2 copies

The Way You Look Tonight (Fred Estaire and Ginger Rogers on Cover, From "Swing Time") (1936) 2 copies

Can I Forget You (1937) 2 copies

I'm Old Fashioned (2011) 2 copies, 1 review

Ed Sullivan Presents Song and Music of Showboat (1959) 2 copies

You Couldn't Be Cuter (1938) 2 copies

Can I Forget You (from High, Wide and Handsome) (1938) 2 copies

You Are Love (from Show Boat) (1928) 2 copies

How'd You Like to Spoon With Me? (from Earl and the Girl) 2 copies

All The Things You Are: The Jerome Kern Songbook 2 copies

I Won't Dance (1935) 2 copies

Yesterdays (from Roberta) (1933) 2 copies

Why Do I Love You? (from SHOW BOAT) (1927) 2 copies

The Music of Jerome Kern. (2000) 2 copies

Ka-Lu-A (From "Good Morning Dearie) (1921) 2 copies

Look for the Silver Lining 1 copy

Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II : Show Boat (COMPLETE) [Frederica von Stade, Teresa Stratas, Jerry Hadley, Karla Burns, Bruce Hubbard, Paige O'Hara, David Garrison, Nancy… (1988) 1 copy

Choral Selections from Show Boat 1 copy

Music from Jerome Kern's Showboat & Roberta 1 copy

Show Boat Highlights / Songs from Music in the Air / Roberta (2005) 1 copy

They Didn't Believe Me 1 copy

Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man 1 copy

Jerome Kern Treasury 1 copy

In Love In Vain (from Centennial Summer) (1946) 1 copy

They Didn't Believe Me (1914) 1 copy

Can't Help Singing (1944) 1 copy

A night with Jerome Kern / A night with Sigmund Romberg 1 copy

I've Told Every Little Star ; T.B. Harms Choral Publications ; Three-Part Chorus or Trio ; S.S.A. 1 copy

Jerome Kern treasury 1 copy

A night with Jerome Kern 1 copy

Dearly Beloved (1942) 1 copy

I'M THE ECHO YOU'RE THE SONG THAT I SING 1 copy

Lonely Feet from "Sweet Adeline" 1 copy

"Yesterdays" from "Roberta" (1933) 1 copy

Why Was I Born? from "Sweet Adeline" (1929) 1 copy

The Folks Who Live on the Hill from "High, Wide and Handsome" (1937) 1 copy

The Big Show from "Head Over Heels" 1 copy

Jerome Kern Songs Vol. 3 (1993) 1 copy

Kern: Show Boat - Broadway Show Album (complete 1927 score) 1 copy

The Last Time I Saw Paris 1 copy

Jerome Kern: Overtures & Music From The Film Swing Time (1989) 1 copy

I Dream Too Much (1935) 1 copy

Selections from showboat 1 copy

The Song is You, from "Music in the Air" (1932) 1 copy

Remind Me (2011) 1 copy

Song Is You, The ; T.B. Harms Choral Publications ; Three-Part Chorus (or Trio) ; S.S.A. 1 copy

Make-Believe ; T.B. Harms Choral Publications ; Three Part Chorus or Trio ; S.S.A. 1 copy

You Are Love ; T.B. Harms Choral Publications ; Three Part Female Chorus ; S.S.A. 1 copy

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes ; When Your Heart's On Fire ; T.B. Harms Choral Publications ; Four Part Song for Female Voices ; S.S.A.A. 1 copy

In Love In Vain 1 copy

My castle in the air 1 copy

Till The Clouds Roll By [Sheet Music] (1917) — Composer — 1 copy

Before I met you 1 copy

D'ye Love Me? - song from the Broadway musical "Sunny" (1925) 1 copy

Oh, Lady! Lady!! 1 copy

Bill 1 copy

Bongo on the Congo 1 copy

Showboat Stagebill 1 copy

Shufflin' Sam 1 copy

Worries 1 copy

A year from today 1 copy

Till The Clouds Roll By [Original Movie Soundtrack] — Composer — 1 copy

Good Morning, (Vocal Selections) 1 copy

Very Good Eddie - Broadway Revival Cast (1975) - LP 1 copy

Show boat (performance of Jan. 1980) 1 copy

Show boat 1 copy

Touch Of Your Hand, The ; T.B. Harms Choral Publications ; Three-Part Chorus or Trio ; S.S.A. 1 copy

[(Show Boat (Vocal Score))] [Author: Jerome Kern] published on (February, 2001) 1 copy

Way You Look To-night, The ; Chappell's Vocal Library of Part Songs ; Three-Part Chorus or Trio ; S.S.A. 1 copy

Yesterdays ; T.B. Harms Choral Publications ; Three Part Chorus (or Trio) ; S.S.A. 1 copy

A Jerome Kern festival 1 copy

Show Boat (Playbill) [Vol 95 No 4] 1 copy

Show Boat (Playbill) [Vol 95 No 8] 1 copy

THE JEROME KERN And P. G. WODEHOUSE SONGBOOK 1 copy

American Songbook Series: Jerome Kern (1994) 1 copy

Just you watch my step 1 copy

Show boat original London cast recording 1 copy

Leave It To Jane - Off-Broadway Revival Cast (1959) - LP 1 copy

Cabaret Girl (2009) 1 copy

Roberta - 1952 Studio Cast - LP 1 copy

Show Boat - 1962 Studio Cast - LP 1 copy

Show Boat - 1958 Studio Cast - LP 1 copy

(When Your Heart's on Fire) Smoke Gets in Your from "Roberta" (1933) 1 copy

An evening with Jerome Kern : for chorus SATB and piano accompaniment (optional Guitar and bass) 1 copy

Sunny from "Sunny" 1 copy

Sally from the Musical Comedy "Sally" 1 copy

Can't help lovin' dat man [vocal score] : three part female chorus (S. S. A.) 1 copy

I've Told Ev' ry Little Star (from Music in the Air) (1932) 1 copy

The cat and the fiddle : a musical love story 1 copy

Dearly Beloved (from You Were Never Lovelier) (1942) 1 copy

Day Dreaming 1 copy

The Last Time I Saw Paris (from Lady Be Good) (1940) — Composer — 1 copy

The Night was Made for Love Canzonetta from The Cat and the Fiddle 1 copy

Joy of Living [video recording] 1 copy, 1 review

Sunny: A Musical Comedy (1934) 1 copy

Why Was I Born (1929) 1 copy

Singer's Edition Jerome Kern (Low Voice) (1988) 1 copy

Show Boat (performance of July 1972) 1 copy

Life Upon The Wicked Stage (1951) 1 copy

Sitting Pretty (1990 Studio Cast) (1992) 1 copy

The First 100 Years 1 copy

Melodies of Jerome Kern Volume 2 1 copy

The Touch of Your Hand (from Roberta) 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Vol. 16: 1919, for Voice and Piano 1 copy

Sure Thing: The Jerome Kern Songbook (1994) 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 6: 1913, Part 1, for Voice and Piano [Katy-Did and 15 Other songs] 1 copy

The Best of Cocktail Piano Solos [music] (2002) 1 copy

Improvisation on Jerome Kern's "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Lovely to Look At"; Piano Solo, arranged by Max Lanner [score] 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 1: 1906-1907, for Voice and Piano [The Subway Express and 13 Other songs] 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 2: 1908, for Voice and Piano [Meet Her With a Taximeter and 13 Other songs] 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 3: 1909-10, for Voice and Piano [By the Blue Lagoon and 8 Other songs] 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 4: 1911, for Voice and Piano [Love is Like a Little Rubber Band and 13 Other songs] 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 5: 1912, for Voice and Piano [The Ragtime Restaurant and 16 Other songs] 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 7: 1913-14, for Voice and Piano [Love is Like a Violin And 10 Other Songs] 1 copy

The collected Songs, Vol. 15: 1918 - Part 3, for Voice and Piano 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 8: 1915, Part 1, for Voice and Piano [Those 'Come Hither' Eyes and 11 Other songs] 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 9: 1915, Part II 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume X (10): 1916, for Voice and Piano: Ten Songs From Have a Heart, Twelve Songs 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume XI (11): 1917, for Voice and Piano [songs from Leave It to Jane and Love O' Mike] 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume XII (12): 1917, Part 2, for Voice and Piano [songs from Oh, Boy! And Miss 1917 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 13: 1918, Part 1, for Voice and Piano [songs from Head Over Heels and Toot Toot 1 copy

The Collected Songs, Volume 14: 1918, Part 2, for Voice and Piano [songs from Oh Lady! Lady!] 1 copy

Melodies of Jerome Kern Volume 1 (2001) 1 copy

Porgy and Bess/Show Boat 1 copy

In Egern on the Tegern See from "Music in the Air" 1 copy

Jerome Kern Showcase 1 copy

George Feyer and His Orchestra Plays Jerome Kern. 1 copy

The Music of Jerome Kern for Trumpet: Twenty-four of Kern's Greatest Melodies (1990) 1 copy

Jerome Kern Melodies 1 copy

It's easy to play Jerome Kern[arranged by Frank Booth] (1999) 1 copy

Second Jerome Kern Song Album from his Famous Musical Plays 1 copy

Scenario For Orchestra on Themes From Show Boat 1 copy

Mark Twain [Portrait for Orchestra] 1 copy

A Lonesome Road - Paul Robeson sings spirituals and songs 1 copy

Swing Time Fred Astaire Ginger Rogers 1936 Piano Selection Sheet Music Piano Solo (1936) 1 copy

Sitting Pretty from "Sitting Pretty" 1 copy

A year from today from "Sitting Pretty" 1 copy

Babes in the Wood from "Very Good Eddie" 1 copy

"Who" from "Sunny" (1925) 1 copy

The Touch of Your Hand from "Roberta" (1933) 1 copy

Here am I from "Sweet Adeline" 1 copy

Don't Ever Leave Me from "Sweet Adeline" 1 copy

A Jerome Kern Showcase by Jerome Kern (1992-01-01) (1992) 1 copy

Sunny: The Musical Comedy 1 copy

Ping Pong Percussion of Jerome Kern 1 copy

Centennial Summer, limited-edition CD 1 copy

The Jerome Kern album; for one piano, four hands 1 copy

Jerome Kern: Master of Melody 1 copy

Jerome Kern: Till The Clouds Roll By LP VG Canada 1 copy

They didn't believe me 1 copy

Jerome Kern Melodies 1 copy

The library of Jerome Kern, New York city ... to be sold ... January seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth 1 copy

All Through the Day (from the 20th Century Fox picture "All Centennial Summer" 1 copy

A Collector's Show Boat 1 copy

Music in the air 1 copy

Show Boat: Original 1946 Broadway Cast Recording 1 copy

The Ultimate Show Boat, 1928 - 1947 (Original, Revival and Studio Cast Anthology) 1 copy

Sunny / Show Boat (Original 1928 London Cast) / Lido Lady [3 on 1] 1 copy

Show Boat {First complete recording of the published 1946 edition} {sound recording} (1993) — Composer — 1 copy

Jerome Kern : Show Boat * Very Good Eddie * Roberta (American Musicals) (1981) 1 copy

Leave It To Jane (1958 Off-Broadway Revival) 1 copy

Roberta / The Vagabond King [sound recording] (2002) 1 copy

Kiri sings Kern 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

Show Boat [1951 film] (1951) — Composer — 126 copies, 1 review

Swing Time [1936 film] (1936) — Composer — 115 copies, 2 reviews

Till the Clouds Roll By [1946 film] (1946) — Composer — 102 copies, 3 reviews

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Astaire and Rogers, Volume One (2010) — Composer — 62 copies

Roberta [1935 film] (1935) — Original play — 39 copies, 1 review

You Were Never Lovelier [1942 film] (1942) — Music — 37 copies

Show Boat [1936 film] (1936) — Composer — 29 copies

A Swingin' Affair! (1957) — Songwriter — 19 copies

Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Jerome Kern Songbook — Songwriter — 9 copies

The Wonderful Edison Time Machine: A Celebration of Life (1999) — Contributor, some editions — 9 copies

Nightclub (2000) — Composer — 8 copies

Can't Help Singing [1944 film] — Composer — 4 copies

Lady Be Good [1941 film] (1991) — Composer — 2 copies

Spider Man [1965 studio album] (1965) — Composer — 2 copies

The Films of Rita Hayworth (Cover Girl / Tonight and Every Night / Gilda / Salome / Miss Sadie Thompson) (2010) — Composer — 2 copies

BBC Proms 2021 : Prom 02 : The Golden Age of Broadway [sound recording] (2021) — Composer — 1 copy

BBC Proms 2012 : Prom 59 : The Broadway Sound [video recording] (2012) — Composer — 1 copy

Straight From the Heart: The Last Great Concert Vol. II (1993) — Composer — 1 copy

Best of Broadway: Music of the Night — Composer — 1 copy

3 Films: Drama 1 copy

Tagged

Main Associated

Arias & Songs (6) Broadway (16) Broadway Revival (4) CD (16) CDs (8) duets (11) jazz (5) Jerome Kern (12) Jerry Hadley (3) Kern (45) lps (6) music (64) music score (7) musical (18) musical theater (49) musicals (23) PGW (13) piano (9) pop (6) SATB (4) sheet music (23) Show Boat (4) songbook (4) soundtrack (8) T.B. Harms Choral Publications (7) theatre (4) Vocal (7) vocal music (4) vocal score (9) voice (44)

Common Knowledge

Canonical name: Kern, Jerome
Legal name: Kern, Jerome David
Birthdate: 1885-01-27
Date of death: 1945-11-11
Gender: male
Education: Newark High School
New York College of Music
Occupations: composer
Organizations: American Academy of Arts and Letters (Music, 1945)
Relationships: Hammerstein II, Oscar (collaborator)
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
Places of residence: New York, New York, USA
Newark, New Jersey, USA
Place of death: New York, New York, USA
Burial location: Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York, USA
Associated Place (for map): New York, USA

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7 reviews

Diane-bpcb 108 reviews

Joy of Living [video recording] by Jerome Kern

A delight. Funny. Low-key. Nothing serious. Irene Dunne's main song is charming, catchy. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is the free-spirited foil to Dunne's professional performer. The early Lucille Ball plays her beautiful, elegant, spoiled-rotten sister.

Jun 2, 2014 (Edited)

danielx 1,036 reviews

Jerome Kern Songbook: The Words and Music of 50 of His Best-Loved Songs by Jerome Kern

This extraordinary volume contains music of Jerome Kern, the great American composer of popular music and musical theater. As the subtitle indicates, words and music are included for "50 of his best loved songs" -- these being from the late 1920s through 1945. The piano music is fairly simple, and with indicated chords, provide a ready basis for improvisation. Among the songs included are Ol' Man River, Can't Help Lovin Dat Man (both from the musical Showboat), I Won't Dance, Make Believe, show more Smoke Gets in your Eyes, The Song Is You, All the Things You Are, and The Way You Look Tonight. Time was that most of these numbers would be staple fare in cocktail lounges and dance halls. show less

Dec 25, 2018

cantorpam 57 reviews

The Way You Look Tonight SATB by Jerome Kern

Easy

Jun 25, 2016

carptrash 3,135 reviews

Leave It To Jane (1959 Revival Cast) / Oh, Kay! (1960 Revival Cast) [2 on 1] by Jerome Kern

Tracklist
Leave It To Jane: 1959 Off-Broadway Revival Cast
1 Good Old Atwater 0:38
2 Wait Till Tomorrow 2:58
3 Just You Watch My Step 3:06
4 Leave It To Jane 2:54
5 The Siren's Song 4:09
6 There It Is Again 3:15
7 Cleopatterer 3:09
8 The Crickets Are Calling/Finale: Act One 2:55
9 Opening: Act Two 1:34
10 Sir Galahad 3:27
11 The Sun Shines Brighter 2:33
12 I'm Going To Find A Girl 2:27
13 Poor Prune 3:34
14 The Sun Shines Brighter (Reprise) 0:57
15 Finale (Leave It To Jane) 2:11

Oh, Kay! 1960 Off-Broadway show more Revival Cast
16 Overture 2:03
17 The Woman's Touch 1:15
18 The Twenties Are Here To Stay 1:52
19 Home 2:03
20 Stiff Upper Lip 2:00
21 Maybe 3:37
22 The Pophams 2:12
23 Do, Do, Do 2:49
24 Clap Yo' Hands 2:39
25 Someone To Watch Over Me 2:47
26 Fidgety Feet 2:06
27 You'll Still Be There 3:12
28 Little Jazz Bird 3:16
29 Oh, Kay! 2:35
30 Finale (Oh Kay!) 1:42

Credits
Arranged By – Robert Hess (2) (tracks: 1-15)
Arranged By, Music Director – Joseph Stecko* (tracks: 1-15)
Liner Notes – Edward Jablonski (tracks: 16-30), Miles Kreuger (tracks: 1-15)
Lyrics By – Guy Bolton (tracks: 1-15), Ira Gershwin (tracks: 16, 17, 20, 21, 23-26, 28-30), P.G. Wodehouse (tracks: 1-15, 18, 19, 22, 27)
Music By – George Gershwin (tracks: 16-30), Jerome Kern (tracks: 1-15)
Music Director, Piano – Dorothea Freitag (tracks: 16-30)
Orchestrated By – Arthur Harris (tracks: 1-15)
Percussion – Pat Harrison (5) (tracks: 16-30)
Performer – Angelo Mango (tracks: 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15), Art Matthews (2) (tracks: 6, 8, 15), Bernie West (tracks: 18, 20, 30), David Daniels (14) (tracks: 19, 21, 23, 24, 27, 30), Dorothy Greener (tracks: 7, 10, 13), Eddie Phillips (2) (tracks: 18, 20, 26, 28-30), George Segal (tracks: 1, 13), Jeanne Allen (tracks: 3, 4, 9, 11, 14), Kathleen Murray (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 15), Linda Lavin (tracks: 17, 30), Marti Stevens (2) (tracks: 21, 23, 25, 27, 29-30), Murray Matheson (tracks: 18, 20, 22, 30), Penny Fuller (tracks: 17, 30), Ray Tudor (tracks: 10, 12)
Piano – Reginald Beane (tracks: 16-30)
Producer – Henry Onorati (tracks: 16-30), Hugo Montenegro (tracks: 16-30), Marv Holtzman (tracks: 1-15) show less

Dec 16, 2024

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