Pencil Sketch of the Day: Cole Porter... 09FEB26 Cole Porter (1891–1964) remains the gold standard of American musical theater, uniquely distinguished as one of the few legends who wrote both music and lyrics for his enduring masterpieces. Born into an affluent Indiana family, he defied his grandfather’s legal ambitions to bring a worldly, urbane wit to the Great American Songbook. His career, marked by sophisticated rhythms and clever, occasionally risqué rhymes, produced iconic hits like "Night and Day," "Anything Goes," and "I've Got You Under My Skin". Despite a debilitating horse-riding accident in 1937 that left him in lifelong pain, his creative spirit triumphed with the 1948 smash Kiss Me, Kate—the first-ever recipient of the Tony Award for Best Musical. Porter’s legacy is a timeless "champagne" of glamour and complex emotion that continues to define musical elegance.