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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 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  
(Results 451-475 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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