Irving Berlin (1888-1989) was born under the name of Israel Beilin in the Russian Empire. His family emigrated to America when he was 5. In abject poverty in New York, he took after his father’s profession by working as a singing waiter. He turned to songwriting and found success at a relatively young age, first in the sheet-music market, then on Broadway, and finally in Hollywood. His songs were nominated for seven Oscars, winning for “White Christmas.” He also won a Tony Award for the score of Call Me Madam. Jerome Kern famously said of him, “He has no place in American music. He is American music.”