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 451-475 of 647 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edison | 10594 | 10-in. | 9/24/1925 | Nobody but Fanny | Florida Four | Instrumental quartet | songwriter | |
Edison | 10673 | 10-in. | 11/10/1925 | Miami | Vernon Dalhart ; Florida Four | Instrumental quartet, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Edison | 11616 | 10-in. | 3/30/1927 | Swanee River Trail | Charles Harrison | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
Edison | 11705 | 10-in. | 5/17/1927 | Me and my shadow | Four Aristocrats | Male vocal quartet, with instrumental quartet | composer | |
Edison | 11827 | 10-in. | 7/30/1927 | Me and my shadow | Al Lynn ; Music Masters ; J. Donald Parker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Edison | 11849 | 10-in. | 8/22/1927 | Me and my shadow | Duke Yellman | Piano solo | composer | |
Edison | 11944 | 10-in. | 10/10/1927 | Me and my shadow | Frederick Kinsley | Pipe organ solo | composer | |
Edison | 18062 | 10-in. | 11/28/1927 | Mother, I still have you | Will Donaldson ; J. Donald Parker | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Edison | 18109 | 10-in. | 12/16/1927 | Four walls | Will Donaldson ; J. Donald Parker | Male vocal solo, with piano | songwriter | |
Edison | 18120 | 10-in. | 12/21/1927 | Four walls | Al Friedman ; The Rollickers [Edison] ; Yoeng's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quartet | songwriter | |
Edison | 18255 | 10-in. | 2/23/1928 | Golden Gate | Happiness Orchestra ; Ernest Hare ; Dave Kaplan | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Edison | 18286 | 10-in. | 3/6/1928 | Back in your own back yard | Walter Scanlan | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Edison | 18695 | 10-in. | 8/31/1928 | Sonny boy | Melville Morris ; Piccadilly Players | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quartet | composer | |
Edison | 18819 | 10-in. | 10/18/1928 | There's a rainbow 'round my shoulder | Golden Gate Orchestra [California Ramblers] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Edison | 18917 | 10-in. | 12/4/1928 | Sonny boy | Charles Harrison | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Edison | 19035 | 10-in. | 2/7/1929 | Sonny boy | Murray Kellner Dinner Music Ensemble | Instrumental ensemble | composer | |
Edison | 19098 | 10-in. | 3/13/1929 | I'm "ka-razy" for you | Vaughn De Leath | Female vocal solo, with ukulele and piano | songwriter | |
Edison | 19202 | 10-in. | 5/20/1929 | Little pal | Walter Scanlan | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
Edison | 19317 | 10-in. | 7/26/1929 | Why can't you | B. A. Rolfe Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Edison | 19318 | 10-in. | 7/26/1929 | Little pal | B. A. Rolfe Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Edison | 19342 | 10-in. | 8/13/1929 | One sweet kiss | Phil Spitalny's Music | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal duet | songwriter | |
Edison | N-126 | 10-in. | 3/6/1928 | Back in your own back yard | Walter Scanlan | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Edison | N-402 | 12-in. | 8/31/1928 | Sonny boy | Melville Morris ; Piccadilly Players | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quartet | composer | |
Edison | N-516 | 10-in. | 10/18/1928 | There's a rainbow 'round my shoulder | California Ramblers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Edison | N-611 | 10-in. | 12/4/1928 | Sonny boy | Charles Harrison | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jolson, Al," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102089.
Jolson, Al. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102089.
"Jolson, Al." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Al Jolson
Discogs: Al Jolson
Allmusic: Al Jolson
Apple Music: Al Jolson
RISM: Al Jolson
IMDb: Al Jolson
Britannica: Al Jolson
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Jolson, Al, 1886-1950 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50048868
Wikidata: Al Jolson - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q128532
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/97935898
MusicBrainz: Al Jolson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5611a8e8-1521-4919-a531-2689bbb57ce4
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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