Vernon Duke

Vernon Duke (10 October 1903 – 16 January 1969), born Vladimir Dukelsky, was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. He gained recognition for his compositions such as 'Taking a Chance on Love' (1940), 'I Can't Get Started' (1936), 'April in Paris' (1932), and 'What Is There To Say' (1934). Duke also wrote the words and music for 'Autumn in New York' (1934) for the revue Thumbs Up! He collaborated with notable lyricists including Ira Gershwin, E.Y. Harburg, Johnny Mercer, Ogden Nash, and Sammy Cahn. Born into a Belarusian noble family in 1903, Duke made significant contributions to American popular music during the first half of the 20th century.