"All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" is a 1937

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

. It was written by

Walter Jurmann Walter Jurmann (October 12, 1903 – June 17, 1971) was an Austrian-born composer of popular music renowned for his versatility who, after immigrating to the United States, specialized in film scores and soundtracks. Biography Born in Vienna, Jur ...

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (G ...

and

Bronisław Kaper Bronisław Kaper (; February 5, 1902 – April 26, 1983) was a Polish film composer who scored films and musical theater in Germany, France, and the USA. The American immigration authorities misspelled his name as Bronislau Kaper. He was also v ...

especially for

Ivie Anderson Ivie Anderson (sometimes Ivy) (July 10, 1905 – December 28, 1949) was an American jazz singer. Anderson was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra for more than a decade. Personal life Ivie Anderson was born July 10, 1905, in Gilroy, Ca ...

, who performed it in the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

' 1937 film '' A Day at the Races'', the tune was also used for the opening theme. The lyrics state that "All God's Children Got Rhythm" even if they "maybe haven't got money, maybe haven't got shoes". The authors (European immigrants from Poland, Germany, and Austria) were likely influenced by a traditional

Negro spiritual Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with African Americans, which merged varied African cultural influences with the exp ...

" All God's Chillun Got Wings" alternately called "All God's Children Got Shoes" which affirms that all God's children have shoes. This was the inspiration for a

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

play of the same name in the 1924 and recorded by

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

, who also appeared in the play.

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

's composition "Little Willie Leaps" and “Reets and I” by

Benny Harris "Little" Benny Harris (April 23, 1919 in New York City – May 11, 1975 in San Francisco) was an American bebop trumpeter and composer. A self-taught musician, Benny Harris was already playing with Thelonious Monk in the mid-1930s. In later y ...

, as well as some lesser-known compositions noted at

List of jazz contrafacts __NOTOC__ A contrafact is a musical composition built using the chord progression of a pre-existing piece, but with a new melody and arrangement. Typically the original tune's progression and song musical form, form will be reused but occasionally ...

, are based on the chord changes of the song.

References

External links

Ivey Anderson performing the song in an excerpt from the Marx Brothers film ''A Day at the Races'' (1937)
Songs with music by Bronisław Kaper Songs with lyrics by Gus Kahn 1930s jazz standards 1937 songs {{1930s-jazz-composition-stub

See also

References

External links