Cole Albert Porter composed hundreds of songs for Broadway, movies and television. He was born in Peru, Indiana, on June 9, 1891. As a young child, he studied piano and violin. At age 14, he left Indiana to study in Massachusetts. In the fall of 1909, he entered Yale University and began writing music for the theater.
He went on to study law at Harvard, but also continued to compose songs and some found their way into Broadway musicals.
In 1928, Porter scored his first big hit when the song “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love” appeared in the musical, ” Paris.” With that success, his career on Broadway took off. Porter wrote classics such as, “Night and Day,” “Anything Goes,” “You’re the Top,” “Begin the Beguine,” “I Get A Kick Out of You,” and “It’s De-lovely.”
A horse back riding accident in 1937 left Porter crippled for life, but he went on to produce some of his best works in the 1940s and 50s. His most successful musical, “Kiss Me, Kate,” premiered in 1948 and enjoyed over a thousand performances.
Although he was outgoing most of his life, Cole Porter became a recluse during his final years. He passed away on October 15, 1964 and is buried in the family plot at Mount Hope Cemetery in Peru, Ind.
