Early life and career
The son of the Rabbi of the Talmud Torah Synagogue (now Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah) in Washington, D.C., Jolson became a popular singer in New York City in 1898, and gradually developed the key elements of his performance: blackface makeup; exuberant gestures; operatic-style singing; whistling and directly addressing his audience.
By 1911, he had parlayed a supporting appearance in the Broadway musical La Belle Paree into a starring role. He began recording and was soon internationally famous for his extraordinary stage presence and personal rapport with audiences. His Broadway career is unmatched for length and popularity, having spanned close to 30 years (1911-1940). Audiences shouted, pleaded, and often would not allow the show to proceed, such was the power of Jolson's presence. At one performance in Boston, the usual staid and conservative audience stopped the show for 45 minutes. He was said to have had an "electric" personality, along with the ability to make each member of the audience believe that he was singing only to them. However, he is best known today for his appearance in one of the first "talkies" The Jazz Singer, the first feature film with sound to enjoy wide commercial success, in 1927. In The Jazz Singer Jolson performed the song "Mammy" in blackface. In truth, Jolson's singing was never jazz, indeed his style remained forever rooted in the vaudeville stage at the turn of 20th century.
Jolson is the first music artist to sell over 10 million records. While no official Billboard magazine chart existed during Jolson's career, their staff archivist Joel Whitburn used a variety of sources such as Talking Machine World's list of top-selling recordings, and Billboard's own sheet music and vaudeville charts to estimate the hits of 1890-1954. By his reckoning, Jolson had the equivalent of 23 No. 1 hits, the 4th-highest total ever, trailing only Bing Crosby, Paul Whiteman, and Guy Lombardo. Whitburn calculates that Jolson topped one chart or another for 114 weeks.
Among the many songs popularized by Jolson were "You Made Me Love You," "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody," "Swanee" (songwriter George Gershwin's first success), "April Showers," "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye," "California, Here I Come," "When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob-Bob-Bobbin' Along," "Sonny Boy" and "Avalon."
Jolson was a political and economic conservative, supporting Calvin Coolidge for president of the United States in 1924 (with the ditty "Keep Cool with Coolidge") unlike most other Jews in the arts, who supported the losing Democratic candidate, John William Davis.
Jolson was married to actress/dancer Ruby Keeler from 1928 to 1940, when they divorced. The couple had adopted a son, Al Jolson Jr., during their marriage, but when he was 14 the boy changed his name to Peter Lowe after his mother's second husband, John Lowe.
After leaving the Broadway stage, Jolson starred on radio. The Al Jolson Show aired 1933-1939, 1942-1943, and 1947-1949, and these shows were typically rated in the top ten. Jolson continued performing until his death in 1950.
The Jolson story
After the success of Warner Bros. film Yankee Doodle Dandy about George M. Cohan, Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky believed that a smiliar film could be made about Al Jolson -- and he knew just where to pitch the project. Harry Cohn may have seemed to a lot of people in Hollywood like a crude, loud vulgarian, but he had one soft spot: he loved the music of Al Jolson.
Skolsky pitched the idea of an Al Jolson biopic and Cohn agreed to it. Directed by Alfred E. Green (best known today for the pre-Code masterpiece Baby Face, The Jolson Story is one of the most entertaining of the musical biopics of that era -- an era that included Yankee Doodle Dandy, Till the Clouds Roll By, Words and Music and Three Little Words. With Jolson providing almost all the vocals, and actor Larry Parks playing Jolson, The Jolson Story was released in 1946, and became one of the biggest hits of the year. Parks received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and the film became one of the highest grossing films of the year.
"The Jolson Story," and its 1949 sequel "Jolson Sings Again," led to a whole new generation who became enthralled with Jolson's voice and charisma. Jolson, who had been a popular guest star on radio since its earliest days, now had his own show, hosting the "Kraft Music Hall" from 1947-1949, with Oscar Levant as a sardonic piano-playing sidekick. Despite such singers as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Perry Como being in their primes, Jolson was voted the "Most Popular Male Vocalist" in 1948 by a Variety poll. The next year, Jolson was named Personality of the Year by the Variety Clubs of America. When Jolson appeared on Bing Crosby's radio show, he attributed his receiving the award to his being the only singer not to make a record of Mule Train, which had been a widely covered hit of that year (four different versions, one of them by Crosby, had made the top ten on the charts).
Jolson joked that he'd tried to sing the hit song. "I got the clippetys all right, but I can't clop like I used to."
Jolson's legacy is considered by many to be severely neglected today because of his use of stage blackface, at the time a theatrical convention used by many performers (both white and black), but today viewed by many as racially insensitive. Jolson was billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," which is how many of the greatest stars (including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Jackie Wilson) referred to him. Charles Chaplin wrote in his Autobiography that he was one of the most electrifying entertainers he had ever seen. A life-long devotion to entertaining American servicemen (he first sang for servicemen of the Spanish-American War as a boy in Washington, D.C.) led Jolson, against the advice of his doctors, to entertain troops in Korea in 1950 when his heart began to fail.
Death
Jolson died on October 23, 1950, in San Francisco at a card game, at the age of 64, apparently of a heart attack, and was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California, where a statue of Jolson beckons visitors to his crypt. On the day he died, Broadway turned off its lights for 10 minutes in Jolson's honor.
Al Jolson has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame:
1. For his contribution to the motion picture industry at 6622 Hollywood Blvd.;
2. For his contribution to the recording industry at 1716 Vine St.;
3. For his contribution to the radio industry at 6750 Hollywood Blvd.
Forty-four years after Jolson's death, the United States Postal Service acknowledged his contribution by issuing a postage stamp in his honor. The 29-cent stamp was unveiled by Erle Jolson Krasna, Jolson's fourth wife, at a ceremony in New York City's Lincoln Center on September 1, 1994. This stamp was one of a series honoring popular American singers, which included Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Ethel Merman, and Ethel Waters. Al Jolson is one of Mr. Burns' (from The Simpsons) favorite actors - he still believes that he is alive.
Jolson's song I'm Sitting on Top of the World was played during the opening montage of 1930's New York City in the 2005 remake of King Kong.
In August of 2006, Al Jolson had a street in New York named after him.
Darktown Strutters Ball
Al Jolson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An invitation to the Darktown Ball
It's a very swell affair
All the "high-browns" will be there
I'll wear my high silk hat and frock tail coat
You wear your Paris gown and your new silk shawl
There ain't no doubt about it babe
We'll be the best dressed in the hall
I'll be down to get you in a taxi, honey
You better be ready about half past eight
Now dearie, don't be late
I want to be there when the band starts playing
Remember when we get there, honey
The two-steps I'm goin' to have 'em all
Goin' to dance out both my shoes
When they play the "Jelly Roll Blues"
Tomorrow night, at the Darktown Strutter's Ball
We'll meet our high-toned neighbors
An exhibition of the "Baby Dolls"
And each one will do their best
Just to outclass the rest
And there'll be dancers from every foreign land
The classic, buck and wing, and the wooden clog
We'll win that fifty dollar prize
When we step out and "Walk The Dog"
The song "Darktown Strutters Ball" by Al Jolson is an upbeat and lively tune about an invitation to a prestigious ball in the town. The singer is inviting his partner to join him, and they both plan to dress up in their finest clothes for the occasion. They are certain that they will be the best-dressed attendees at the ball. The singer promises to pick her up in a taxi and urges her to be ready by half-past eight. They both plan to dance until they cannot dance anymore, with the singer intending to dance out of his shoes when they play the "Jelly Roll Blues." They are confident about winning the fifty-dollar prize and intend to dance the "Walk the Dog" when they step out.
The lyrics of the song are steeped in the cultural context of the time, and the ball refers to an event that was held in Harlem where African Americans would gather to dance, socialize, and show off their best clothes. The song's lyrics depict the joy and excitement of participating in this tradition, with the singer expressing pleasure about being part of such an event with his partner. The lyrics of the song provide insight into the lively nature of the event, which was steeped in African-American culture and tradition.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got some good news, honey
I have exciting news to share with you, my dear
An invitation to the Darktown Ball
We have been invited to attend the Darktown Ball
It's a very swell affair
This event is a grand and impressive occasion
All the 'high-browns' will be there
We will be in the company of esteemed and cultured guests
I'll wear my high silk hat and frock tail coat
I will dress in my finest clothing, including a top hat and tailcoat
You wear your Paris gown and your new silk shawl
You will wear your most elegant Parisian dress and a new silk shawl
There ain't no doubt about it babe
It is completely certain, my dear
We'll be the best dressed in the hall
We will undoubtedly be the most stylishly attired couple at the ball
I'll be down to get you in a taxi, honey
I will come to pick you up in a taxi, my dear
You better be ready about half past eight
Please be prepared and ready to leave by 8:30 pm
Now dearie, don't be late
Please be on time, my love
I want to be there when the band starts playing
I wish to be present for the beginning of the musical performance
Remember when we get there, honey
Please remember, my dear, when we arrive at the venue
The two-steps I'm goin' to have 'em all
I plan to execute the two-step dance and impress all the attendees
Goin' to dance out both my shoes
I will dance so fervently that my shoes will wear out
When they play the 'Jelly Roll Blues'
Especially when the band plays the 'Jelly Roll Blues'
Tomorrow night, at the Darktown Strutter's Ball
This event takes place tomorrow evening at the Darktown Strutter's Ball
We'll meet our high-toned neighbors
We will be introduced to our refined and respectable neighbors
An exhibition of the 'Baby Dolls'
We will witness a display of the 'Baby Dolls'
And each one will do their best
Each person will endeavor to perform their finest dance moves
Just to outclass the rest
With the intention of being the most superior and impressive dancer
And there'll be dancers from every foreign land
Attendees from various countries and cultures will be in attendance
The classic, buck and wing, and the wooden clog
Different dance styles like the classic, buck and wing, and wooden clog will be performed
We'll win that fifty dollar prize
We will emerge victorious and obtain a cash prize of fifty dollars
When we step out and 'Walk The Dog'
By doing the 'Walk The Dog' dance move, we will be deserving of the prize
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Shelton Brooks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
G
This is the Collins & Harlan recording. Jolson does not sing on this.
Kristen Wilson
THANK YOU!!!!
Bernhard Straßmann
Very good, but this isn't Al Jolson. It's the duo Arthur Collins ans Byron G. Harlan.