DESCRIPTION:
"Bess, You Is My Woman"
From the Opera, "Porgy and Bess"
Music by George Gershwin
Lyrics by Du Bose Heyward and Ira Gershwin
Featuring Todd Duncan and Anne Brown
Accompanied by the Decca Symphony Orchestra
Directed by Alexander Smallens
Recorded May 15, 1940
Decca 29069A

George Gershwin's "American Folk Opera" Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway on October 10, 1935, in the middle of the Great Depression and closed after only 124 performances on January 25, 1936. In May 1940, Decca Records assembled some of the members of the original cast, including Todd Duncan and Anne Brown, who had played the title characters, for a recording session that produced a 78 rpm album of selections from the score.

Todd Duncan was born in Danville, Kentucky in 1903, died February 28, 1998. He obtained his musical training at Butler University in Indianapolis with a B.A. in music followed by an M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College. Duncan was George Gershwin's personal choice as the first performer of the role of "Porgy" in Porgy and Bess in 1935 and played the role more than 1,800 times.

Anne Wiggins Brown (born Annie Wiggins Brown August 9, 1912 - died March 13, 2009) was an African American soprano who created the role of "Bess" in the original production of George Gershwin's folk opera Porgy and Bess in 1935. She was also a radio and concert singer. She settled in Norway in her 30's and later became a Norwegian citizen.