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 401-425 of 647 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brunswick | C3904 | 10-in. | 7/20/1929 | Why can’t you? | Jay Richards Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | songwriter | |
Brunswick | C3905 | 10-in. | 7/20/1929 | Used to you | Jay Richards Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | songwriter | |
Brunswick | XC4003 | 12-in. | 8/7/1929 | [Unknown title(s)] | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | XC4004 | 12-in. | 8/7/1929 | [Unknown title(s)] | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | XC4005 | 12-in. | 8/7/1929 | [Unknown title(s)] | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | XC4006 | 12-in. | 8/7/1929 | [Unknown title(s)] | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | XC4007 | 12-in. | 8/7/1929 | [Unknown title(s)] | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | XC4008 | 12-in. | 8/7/1929 | [Unknown title(s)] | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | XC4009 | 12-in. | 8/7/1929 | [Unknown title(s)] | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | 41Ch-42Ch | 10-in. | 1/18/1924 | Steppin’ out | Isham Jones Orchestra ; Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | C4148 | 10-in. | 8/20/1929 | Por qué no sonreir? | Flavio Plasencia | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
Brunswick | C4149 | 10-in. | 8/20/1929 | Amiguito mió | Flavio Plasencia | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
Brunswick | 43Ch-44Ch | 10-in. | 1/18/1924 | Feeling the way I do | Isham Jones Orchestra ; Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | Ch81-Ch82 | 10-in. | 2/24/1924 | Mr. Radio Man (Tell my mammy to come back home) | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | Ch83-Ch84 | 10-in. | 2/24/1924 | Home in Pasadena | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | 95Ch-98Ch | 10-in. | 3/13/1924 | My papa doesn’t two-time no time | Gene Rodemich’s Orchestra ; Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | 99Ch-102Ch | 10-in. | 3/13/1924 | Lazy | Gene Rodemich’s Orchestra ; Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | 106Ch-107Ch | 10-in. | 3/14/1924 | Mr. Radio Man | Isham Jones Orchestra ; Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | 108Ch-110Ch | 10-in. | 3/14/1924 | Home in Pasadena | Isham Jones Orchestra ; Al Jolson | Male vocal solo and whistling, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, whistling, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | C1032-C1034 | 10-in. | 7/6/1927 | Me and my shadow | Lee Sims | Piano solo | composer | |
Brunswick | C1595-C1596 | 10-in. | 1/18/1928 | Four walls | Elmo Tanner | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | songwriter | |
Brunswick | LAE37 | 10-in. | Jan. 1928 | Golden Gate | Herb Wiedoeft Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | composer | |
Brunswick | LTR213 | 10-in. | 9/5/1929 | Used to you | Hazel Warner | Female vocal solo | composer | |
Brunswick | LAE249 | 10-in. | 8/20/1928 | There’s a rainbow 'round my shoulder | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter, vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Brunswick | LAE250 | 10-in. | 8/20/1928 | Sonny boy | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, vocalist, baritone vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jolson, Al," accessed May 2, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102089.
Jolson, Al. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 2, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102089.
"Jolson, Al." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 May 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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