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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 176-200 of 647 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 80317 10-in. 4/24/1922 Coo-coo Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal, songwriter  
Columbia 80500 10-in. 8/4/1922 I'll stand beneath your window tonight and whistle Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 80532 10-in. 9/9/1922 Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goo'bye) Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 80533 10-in. 9/9/1922 Do I? Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 80593 10-in. 10/10/1922 Lost (a wonderful girl) Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 80609 10-in. 10/13/1922 Some of these days Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 80631 10-in. 11/13/1922 Who cares? Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 80761 10-in. 1/4/1923 Coal black mammy Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 80762 10-in. 1/4/1923 Wanita Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 80806 10-in. 1/26/1923 Sweet one Frank Crumit Male vocal solo, with orchestra songwriter  
Columbia 80809 10-in. 1/29/1923 Sweet one Paul Specht Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Columbia 80896 10-in. 3/12/1923 Sweet one Happy Six Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia 80929 10-in. 3/30/1923 Morning will come Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra songwriter, vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 81000 10-in. 5/2/1923 Don’t cry Swanee Paul Specht Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Columbia 81001 10-in. 5/2/1923 Morning will come Paul Specht Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Columbia 81011 10-in. 5/14/1923 Stella Happy Six Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Columbia 81016 10-in. 5/15/1923 Stella Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra songwriter, vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 81072 10-in. 6/12/1923 Waitin' for the evenin' mail Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 81152 10-in. 7/27/1923 That big blond mamma Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 81201 10-in. 9/7/1923 You've simply got me cuckoo Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 81281 10-in. 10/13/1923 Mama loves Papa, Papa loves Mama Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 81354 10-in. 11/15/1923 Arcady California Ramblers Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Columbia 81368 10-in. 11/23/1923 Arcady Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra songwriter, vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 81423 10-in. 12/18/1923 I'm goin' south Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
Columbia 81429 10-in. 12/20/1923 Twelve o'clock at night Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, baritone vocal  
(Results 176-200 of 647 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jolson, Al," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102089.

Jolson, Al. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102089.

"Jolson, Al." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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