'The Half of It, Dearie' Blues explained

The Half of It, Dearie' Blues
Cover:	File:The Half of It Dearie, Blues.jpg
Published:	Harms, Inc.^[1]
Artist:	Fred Astaire and Kathlene Martyn
Composer:	George Gershwin
Lyricist:	Ira Gershwin

"The Half of it, Dearie' Blues" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire and Kathlene Martyn in the 1924 musical Lady be Good.^[2]

Recordings

• Fred Astaire with George Gershwin at the piano - Fred Astaire - Complete London Sessions. In this first ever recording of the number, on April 19, 1926, Astaire includes a short tap-dancing section and asks Gershwin: "How's that, George," to which Gershwin replies: "That's fine, Freddy, keep going."
• Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959)

References

1. Book: Library of Congress. Copyright Office.. Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1924 Musical Compositions New Series Vol 19 Part 3. 1924. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.. United States Copyright Office. English.
2. Book: Billman , Larry . Fred Astaire - A Bio-bibliography . Greenwood Press . 1997 . Connecticut . 57 . 0-313-29010-5 .