George Gershwin was born on September 26, 1898, in Brooklyn, New York City, to a family of Jewish immigrants from Russia. As a child he did not show much interest in music at first, but after hearing a friend play the violin he became fascinated and soon began studying the piano. As a teenager he left school and started working in Tin Pan Alley as a “song plugger,” where he played and promoted new popular songs for customers. This job helped him develop his skills as a pianist and composer and i