The first biography of a composer who broke the gender barrier on Broadway

Kay Swift (1897-1993) was one of the few women composers active on Broadway in the first half of the twentieth century. Best known as George Gershwin's assistant, musical adviser, and intimate friend, Swift was in fact an accomplished musician herself, a pianist and composer whose Fine and Dandy (1930) was the first complete Broadway musical written by a woman. This fascinating book-the first biography of Swift-discusses her music and her extraordinary life.

Vicki Ohl describes Swift's work for musical theater, the ballet, Radio City Music Hall's Rockettes, and commercial shows. She also tells how Swift served as director of light music for the 1939 World's Fair, eloped with a cowboy from the rodeo at the fair, and abandoned her native New York for Oregon, later fashioning her experiences into an autobiographical novel, Who Could Ask for Anything More? Informed by rich material, including Swift's unpublished memoirs and extensive interviews with her family members and friends, this book captures the essence and spirit of a remarkable woman.

About the Author

Vicki Ohl is professor of piano and theory at Heidelberg College.

Reviews
"This first full-scale biography of Kay Swift is a comprehensive examination of her life and work in all its phases." Geoffrey Block, author of Richard Rodgers, Yale Broadway Masters"



Book Information
ISBN 9780300102611
Author Vicki Ohl
Format Hardback
Page Count 336
Imprint Yale University Press
Publisher Yale University Press
Weight(grams) 621g