Artist: Fred Astaire
Author: George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin
Label: Brunswick
Year: 1937

Fred Astaire was from Nebraska of all places. Raised in New York though, not far from where the Gershwins lived. Fred, one year younger than George, had a dance-act with his sister Adele. It hit vaudeville and even Broadway right when George & Ira Gershwin began to write together. Both parties knew each other before notority struck. Musical Lady Be Good, George & Ira's first big production, was written for Fred & Adele. The Gershwins moved to Hollywood, so did their old neigborhood cronie turned careless entertainer, distracting humanity with a new world war at hand. This time the Gershwin/Astaire collaboration resulted in two films: Shall We Dance? (featuring a.o. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off and They Can't Take That Away From Me) and A Damsel In Distress, holding more than one evergreen: Nice Work If You Can Get It (see there). The action of A Damsell In Distress was set in England, hence a fog song. George Gershwin died before the latter hit the theatres.

Also cut by all the usual suspects: Count Basie, George Benson, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Erroll Garner, Stan Getz, Eydie Gormé, Julie London, Oscar Peterson, Artie Shaw, Jimmy Smith, Dinah Washington, even The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.