<DIV>Both the definitive biography of the Gershwin brothers and a lavishly illustrated chronicle of the American era their music and lyrics embodied, <I>The Gershwin Years</I> celebrates the musical achievements of George (1898–1937) and Ira (1896–1983) while offering a revealing inside look at their lives. The brothers drew inspiration from its varied faces—black culture from <I>Porgie and Bess,</I> the frantic sophistication of the 1920s for such musical comedies as <I>Funny Face</I> and <I>Girl </I>Crazy, the tumult of American politics for the satirical <I>Of Thee I Sing. </I>From George's Tin Pan Alley days as a song plugger and Ira's first attempts at lyric writing to their conquest of Broadway and Hollywood, from their collaborations and George's solo compositions (<I>Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F,</I> and <I>An American in Paris</I>) to George's death from a brain tumor and Ira's later work with Kern, Weill, and Arlen, <I>The Gershwin Years</I> presents an authoritative, visually stunning, and altogether delightful account of the "Wright Brothers" of American music.</Div>