Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin in the Russian Empire, May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American songwriter who immigrated to the United States as a child and became one of the most prolific and influential figures in American popular song, writing roughly 1,500 compositions, scores for 20 Broadway shows, and music for 15 Hollywood films.

Songs such as “White Christmas,” “God Bless America,” and “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” made him a defining architect of the American popular song tradition; composer Jerome Kern famously said Berlin “has no place in American music—he is American music.”

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Berlin