Cole Porter
American composer and songwriter of witty Broadway and film standards.
Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter whose work became a staple of the Great American Songbook. His lyrics were known for their cleverness and sophistication, and his stage and film scores were major successes on Broadway and in Hollywood. Born into a wealthy Indiana family, Porter ignored his grandfather’s push for a legal career and chose music instead. He had classical training but was drawn to musical theater. After a rocky start, he found his footing in the 1920s, and by the 1930s he was a leading songwriter for Broadway. Unlike many of his peers, Porter wrote both the music and the words for his songs.
A severe horseback riding accident in 1937 left him in constant pain and with a disability, but he kept working. His early-1940s shows didn’t produce the lasting hits of his prime, but in 1948 he made a strong return with *Kiss Me, Kate*, his most successful musical and the first winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical. His other notable musicals include *Fifty Million Frenchmen*, *DuBarry Was a Lady*, *Anything Goes*, *Can-Can*, and *Silk Stockings*. Among his most famous songs are “Night and Day,” “Begin the Beguine,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Well, Did You Evah!,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love,” “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” and “You’re the Top.” He also wrote film scores from the 1930s through the 1950s, including *Born to Dance* (1936), *Rosalie* (1937), *High Society* (1956), and *Les Girls* (1957).
Porter was born in Peru, Indiana, on June 9, 1891, the only surviving child of a wealthy family. His father, Samuel Fenwick Porter, was a pharmacist. His mother, Kate, was the spoiled daughter of James Omar “J. O.” Cole, the richest man in Indiana, a coal and timber speculator who ran the household. J. O. Cole built the family a house on his Peru-area property, Westleigh Farms. After high school, Porter returned home only for occasional visits. His mother doted on him and started his musical training early. He learned violin at six, piano at eight, and wrote his first operetta at ten with his mother’s help. She also lied about his birth year, changing it from 1891 to 1893 to make him seem more gifted. His father, a shy and quiet man, was less involved in his upbringing, though as an amateur poet he may have influenced Porter’s skill with rhyme and meter. His father was also a talented singer and pianist, but the two were not close.
J. O. Cole wanted his grandson to be a lawyer, so he sent him to Worcester Academy in Massachusetts in 1905. Porter brought an upright piano to school and found that music and entertaining helped him make friends easily. He did well academically and rarely came home. He was class valedictorian, and his grandfather rewarded him with a tour of France, Switzerland, and Germany. At Yale College in 1909, he majored in English, minored in music, and studied French. He joined Scroll and Key and Delta Kappa Epsilon, wrote for the campus humor magazine *The Yale Record*, and was an early member of the Whiffenpoofs. He also sang in several music clubs and, as a senior, was elected president of the Yale Glee Club and its principal soloist. While at Yale, he wrote about 300 songs, including the football fight songs “Bulldog” and “Bingo Eli Yale” (also known as “Bingo, That’s The Lingo!”), still played at the university. He often took the train to New York City for dinner, theater, and nightlife with classmates, returning to New Haven early in the morning. He also wrote musical comedy scores for his fraternity and the Yale Dramatic Association, as well as for Harvard—*Cora* (1911), *And the Villain Still Pursued Her* (1912), *The Pot of Gold* (1912), *The Kaleidoscope* (1913), and *Paranoia* (1914)—which prepared him for Broadway and Hollywood. After Yale, he entered Harvard Law School in 1913, rooming with future Secretary of State Dean Acheson. He soon realized law wasn’t for him and, with the law dean’s suggestion, switched to Harvard’s music department, studying harmony and counterpoint with Pietro Yon. His mother didn’t object, but the move was kept secret from J. O. Cole.
In 1915, Porter’s first Broadway song, “Esmeralda,” appeared in the revue *Hands Up*. This quick success was followed by failure: his first Broadway production, *See America First* in 1916, a patriotic comic opera based on Gilbert and Sullivan with a book by T. Lawrason Riggs, flopped after two weeks. He spent the next year in New York City before going overseas during World War I.
In 1917, when the U.S. entered the war, Porter moved to Paris to work with the Duryea Relief organization. Some have doubted his claim of serving in the French Foreign Legion, but the Legion lists him as a soldier and displays his portrait at its museum in Aubagne. According to some accounts, he served in North Africa and was later transferred to the French Officers School at Fontainebleau, where he taught gunnery to American soldiers. *The New York Times* obituary noted that while in the Legion, he had a portable piano made so he could carry it on his back and entertain the troops.
- born
- June 9, 1891, Peru, Indiana, USA
- died
- October 15, 1964
- field
- Composer and songwriter
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Witty, urbane song lyrics; Broadway and Hollywood musicals; writing both music a
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Porter was born in Peru, Indiana, on June 9, 1891, the only surviving child of a wealthy family. His mother began his musical training early; he learned the violin at age six, the piano at eight, and wrote his first operetta (with help from his mother) at ten. She falsified his recorded birth year, changing it from 1891 to 1893 to make him appear more precocious. His grandfather, J. O. Cole, wanted him to become a lawyer and sent him to Worcester Academy in Massachusetts in 1905. Porter brought an upright piano with him to school and found that music made it easy to make friends. He became class valedictorian and was rewarded by his grandfather with a tour of France, Switzerland and Germany. Entering Yale College in 1909, Porter majored in English, minored in music, and studied French. He wrote 300 songs while at Yale, including the football fight songs "Bulldog" and "Bingo Eli Yale" (aka "Bingo, That's The Lingo!") still played at Yale. After graduating, he enrolled in Harvard Law School in 1913, where he roomed with future Secretary of State Dean Acheson. He soon felt he was not destined to be a lawyer and, at the suggestion of the dean, switched to Harvard's music department, studying harmony and counterpoint with Pietro Yon. In 1915, his first song on Broadway, "Esmeralda", appeared in the revue Hands Up. His first Broadway production, in 1916, See America First, was a flop, closing after two weeks. In 1917, when the United States entered World War I, Porter moved to Paris to work with the Duryea Relief organization. The French Foreign Legion lists Porter as one of its soldiers and displays his portrait at its museum in Aubagne. In 1918, he met Linda Lee Thomas, a rich, Louisville, Kentucky-born divorcée eight years his senior. The couple married on December 19, 1919. She was in no doubt about Porter's homosexuality, but it was mutually advantageous for them to marry. They remained married until her death in 1954. Porter maintained a luxury apartment in Paris, where he entertained lavishly. His parties were extravagant and scandalous, with "much gay and bisexual activity, Italian nobility, cross-dressing, international musicians and a large surplus of recreational drugs." In 1923, Porter came into an inheritance from his grandfather, and the Porters began living in rented palaces in Venice. He once hired the entire Ballets Russes to entertain his guests. In 1923, in collaboration with Gerald Murphy, he composed a short ballet, originally titled Landed and then Within the Quota, satirically depicting the adventures of an immigrant to America who becomes a film star. The work was one of the earliest symphonic jazz-based compositions, predating George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue by four months. After a slow start, Porter began to achieve success in the 1920s, and by the 1930s he was one of the major songwriters for the Broadway musical stage. Unlike many successful Broadway composers, Porter wrote the lyrics as well as the music for his songs. 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 1940s did not contain the lasting hits of his best work of the 1920s and 1930s, but in 1948 he made a triumphant comeback with his most successful musical, Kiss Me, Kate. It won the first Tony Award for Best Musical.
Reader's Guide
Cole Porter's significance lies in his dual role as composer and lyricist, producing a body of work that defined the American musical theatre and popular songbook. His songs—including "Night and Day", "Begin the Beguine", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "Well, Did You Evah!", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love", "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", and "You're the Top"—became enduring standards, celebrated for their sophisticated, witty lyrics and memorable melodies. Porter's career spanned from the 1910s through the 1950s, with major successes on Broadway including Fifty Million Frenchmen, DuBarry Was a Lady, Anything Goes, Can-Can, and Silk Stockings, and in Hollywood films such as Born to Dance (1936), Rosalie (1937), High Society (1956), and Les Girls (1957). His ability to write both music and words set him apart from many contemporaries. Despite a serious horseback riding accident in 1937 that left him disabled and in constant pain, Porter continued to produce work, culminating in the 1948 triumph of Kiss Me, Kate, which won the first Tony Award for Best Musical. His legacy endures in the continued performance and recording of his songs, which remain staples of jazz and popular music.
Did You Know?
- Porter's mother falsified his recorded birth year, changing it from 1891 to 1893 to make him appear more precocious.
- He wrote 300 songs while at Yale, including the football fight songs 'Bulldog' and 'Bingo Eli Yale' still played at Yale.
- In 1923, Porter composed a short ballet, Within the Quota, one of the earliest symphonic jazz-based compositions, predating Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue by four months.
- After a serious horseback riding accident in 1937, Porter was left disabled and in constant pain, but he continued to work.
- Kiss Me, Kate (1948) won the first Tony Award for Best Musical.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Cole Porter?
Cole Porter was an American composer and lyricist who crafted songs for Broadway musicals and Hollywood films. He is widely remembered for his sharp, sophisticated wordplay and his ability to write both the music and the lyrics himself.
What is Cole Porter most famous for?
He is best known for his witty, urbane song lyrics that went on to become American popular standards. His scores enjoyed lasting success on both the Broadway stage and in film, and he remains a go-to name in the Great American Songbook.
Where and when was Cole Porter born?
Porter was born on June 9, 1891, in Peru, Indiana, into a well-off family. Despite his grandfather's expectation that he enter the legal profession, he ultimately committed his career to music and songwriting.
What kind of musical style is Cole Porter associated with?
His work blends elegant, catchy melodies with clever, often playful lyrics that reflect a cosmopolitan sensibility. Many of his tunes have since become staples in jazz, vocal, and orchestral performance traditions.
When did Cole Porter die?
Cole Porter passed away on October 15, 1964. His catalog of songs and stage scores continues to be revived, recorded, and performed well into the twenty-first century.
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