BERLIN, IRVING

Irving Berlin was born in Temun, Siberia. His family emigrated to the United States when Berlin was four. By the time he was fourteen, he was earning a living by singing popular songs in cafes and on street corners. Subsequently, he became a song plugger and singing waiter. In 1906, he began writing songs, his first published song being Marie from Sunny Italy in 1907. Berlin had no formal musical training and was unable to read or write musical notation...