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Al Jolson

Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American singer, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer." Jolson was known for his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach" towards performing, as well as for popularizing many of the songs he sang. Jolson has been referred to by modern critics as "the king of blackface performers."

Although best remembered today as the star of the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he starred in a series of successful musical films during the 1930s. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he was the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II. After a period of inactivity, his stardom returned with The Jolson Story (1946), in which Larry Parks played Jolson, with the singer dubbing for Parks. The formula was repeated in a sequel, Jolson Sings Again (1949). In 1950, he again became the first star to entertain GIs on active service in the Korean War, performing 42 shows in 16 days. He died weeks after returning to the U.S., partly owing to the physical exhaustion from the performance schedule. Defense Secretary George Marshall posthumously awarded him the Medal for Merit.

According to music historian Larry Stempel, "No one had heard anything quite like it before on Broadway." Stephen Banfield wrote that Jolson's style was "arguably the single most important factor in defining the modern musical."

With his dynamic style of singing jazz and blues, he became widely successful by extracting traditionally African-American music and popularizing it for white American audiences who would be unwilling to listen to it when performed by black artists. Despite his promotion and perpetuation of black stereotypes, his work was often well-regarded by black publications and has been credited for fighting against black discrimination on Broadway as early as 1911. In an essay written in 2000, music critic Ted Gioia remarked, "If blackface has its shameful poster boy, it is Al Jolson", showcasing Jolson's complex legacy in American society.

Birth and Death Data: Born May 26, 1886 (Seredžius), Died October 23, 1950 (San Francisco)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1911 - 1957

Roles Represented in DAHR: baritone vocal, composer, songwriter, lyricist, speaker, whistling

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 301-325 of 647 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
OKeh W401855 10-in. 5/3/1929 Evangeline Oliver Naylor's Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
OKeh W402866 10-in. 8/20/1929 Little pal Richard Jordon Organ solo, with male vocal solo songwriter  
OKeh W402886 10-in. 8/27/1929 Mem'ries of one sweet kiss Scrappy Lambert Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band songwriter  
OKeh W403035 10-in. 10/7/1929 A year from today Charles W. Hamp Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band songwriter  
Brunswick 4250 10-in. approximately Oct. 1920 Avalon Isham Jones Rainbo Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Brunswick 4326 10-in. approximately Oct. 1920 Avalon Ernest Hare Male vocal solo, with orchestra songwriter  
Brunswick 6288-6291 10-in. approximately Aug. 1921 Yoo-hoo! Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Brunswick 7330-7332 10-in. approximately Feb. 1922 Old fashioned girl Rudy Wiedoeft's Californians Jazz/dance band composer  
Brunswick 9776-9778 10-in. approximately Jan. 1923 Sweet one Isham Jones Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Brunswick 10531-10533 10-in. 5/1/1923 Don’t cry, Swanee Isham Jones Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Brunswick 10724-10726 10-in. 5/23/1923 Stella Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Brunswick 10750-10752 10-in. 5/25/1923 Morning will come Benny Krueger’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Brunswick 10833-10835 10-in. 6/13/1923 Dirty hands, dirty face Marion Harris Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Brunswick 13472-13474 10-in. 7/2/1924 Mandalay Abe Lyman’s California Orchestra ; Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, baritone vocal  
Brunswick 13475-13477 10-in. 7/3/1924 II Barbiere di Siviglia Al Jolson Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Brunswick 13478-13480 10-in. 7/3/1924 Pagliacci : Prologue Al Jolson Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Brunswick 13566-13569 10-in. 7/18/1924 Who wants a bad little boy? Californians ; Al Jolson ; Abe Lyman Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, baritone vocal  
Brunswick 13617-13618 10-in. 7/25/1924 Who wants a bad little boy? Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Brunswick 13686-13688 10-in. 8/6/1924 Follow the swallow Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Brunswick 13689-13691 10-in. 8/6/1924 I wonder what’s become of Sally Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Brunswick 13864-13867 10-in. 10/2/1924 All alone Al Jolson ; Ray Miller Orchestra Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, baritone vocal  
Brunswick 13954-13956 10-in. 10/15/1924 I’m gonna tramp, tramp, tramp Al Jolson ; Ray Miller Orchestra Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, baritone vocal  
Brunswick 14206-14207 10-in. 11/14/1924 Hello ‘Tucky! Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, baritone vocal  
Brunswick 14208-14210 10-in. 11/14/1924 (Trouble’s a bubble) Keep smiling at trouble Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, baritone vocal, lyricist  
Brunswick 14264-14265 10-in. 11/19/1924 Trouble’s a bubble Carl Fenton’s Orchestra ; Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, baritone vocal, lyricist  
(Results 301-325 of 647 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jolson, Al," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102089.

Jolson, Al. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102089.

"Jolson, Al." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102089

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