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.
Pretty Baby
Al Jolson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You hate to have me call you Pretty Baby;
I really thought that I was pleasing you,
For you're just a baby to me.
Your cunning little dimples and your baby stare,
Your baby talk and baby walk and curly hair;
Your baby smile makes life worth while,
You're just as sweet as you can be.
Your mother says you were the cutest kid;
No wonder, dearie, that I'm wild about you,
And all the cunning things you said and did.
Why, I love to fondly recall,
Ann just like Peter Pan, it seems you'll always be
The same sweet, cunning, Little Baby dear to me.
And that is why I'm sure that I will always love you best of all.
Everybody loves a baby that's why I'm in love with you,
Pretty Baby, Pretty Baby;
And I'd to be your sister, brother, dad and mother too,
Pretty Baby, Pretty Baby.
Won't you come and let me rock you in my cradle of love,
And we'll cuddle all the time.
Oh! I want a Lovin' Baby and it might as well be you,
Pretty Baby of mine.
The song "Pretty Baby" by Al Jolson is a tender and affectionate tribute to a beloved romantic partner. The lyrics are sentimental and playful, with Jolson singing about the various ways in which his lover is like a child to him. He describes her as having "cunning little dimples" and a "baby stare," and he mentions her "baby talk and baby walk and curly hair." Despite the fact that she is an adult woman, Jolson sees her as innocent, pure, and lovable in the same way that one might view a child.
Throughout the song, Jolson makes it clear that he adores his partner. He recalls the various endearing things she said and did, and he even likens her to the eternal child Peter Pan, saying that she will "always be the same sweet, cunning, Little Baby dear to me." He also sings about wanting to be her sister, brother, dad, and mother, emphasizing the unconditional nature of his love.
One interesting aspect of "Pretty Baby" is its use of the term "baby," which was a common term of endearment in early 20th-century America. At the time, many people saw the word as conveying sweetness, innocence, and vulnerability. The song was written by Gus Kahn and Tony Jackson, two African-American songwriters who wrote many hits for Jolson and other entertainers of the era. It was first recorded by Jolson in 1916 and went on to become one of his signature tunes.
Other interesting facts about "Pretty Baby" include that it was later adapted into a popular film starring Shirley Temple, that it has been covered by dozens of other artists over the years, and that it was famously used in the soundtrack of the film The Jolson Story. The song's popularity at the time was due in part to Jolson's charismatic live performances, during which he would often climb onto the piano and sing directly to his adoring fans. Finally, the original sheet music for "Pretty Baby" featured a charming illustration of a baby in a cradle, further emphasizing the song's themes of innocence, sweetness, and love.
Chords:
The chords used in the most commonly played version of "Pretty Baby," in the key of F, are F, Bb, C, Am, Dm, Gm, and E7.
Line by Line Meaning
You ask me why I'm always teasing you,
You want to know why I always playfully tease you,
You hate to have me call you Pretty Baby;
You don't like it when I affectionately call you Pretty Baby,
I really thought that I was pleasing you,
I thought that calling you Pretty Baby made you happy,
For you're just a baby to me.
To me, you are still like a child,
Your cunning little dimples and your baby stare,
I love your adorable dimples and the way you stare like a little child,
Your baby talk and baby walk and curly hair;
I find the way you talk and walk, as well as your curly hair, charming like a baby's,
Your baby smile makes life worth while,
Seeing your innocent, sweet smile makes life so much better,
You're just as sweet as you can be.
You are the epitome of sweetness,
Your mother says you were the cutest kid;
Your mother told me how adorable you were as a child,
No wonder, dearie, that I'm wild about you,
It's no surprise that I am crazy about you,
And all the cunning things you said and did.
I love all the clever and charming things that you do and say,
Why, I love to fondly recall,
I enjoy reminiscing about those moments,
Ann just like Peter Pan, it seems you'll always be
It seems like you'll always remain like Peter Pan - young, innocent, and playful,
The same sweet, cunning, Little Baby dear to me.
You will always be the same sweet, clever, and baby-like person I fell in love with.
And that is why I'm sure that I will always love you best of all.
That's why I know I will always love you more than anyone else.
Everybody loves a baby that's why I'm in love with you,
Everyone loves babies and that's why I love you so much,
Pretty Baby, Pretty Baby;
My beautiful and sweet baby,
And I'd like to be your sister, brother, dad and mother too,
I want to be everything to you - your family, your protector, and your caregiver,
Pretty Baby, Pretty Baby.
My sweet baby, you are everything to me,
Won't you come and let me rock you in my cradle of love,
Come and let me love and care for you like a baby in my protective embrace,
And we'll cuddle all the time.
We will stay in each other's arms and cherish every moment,
Oh! I want a Lovin' Baby and it might as well be you,
I want a loving baby and it can only be you,
Pretty Baby of mine.
My dear, sweet Pretty Baby.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BAYLEY COOKE, JASON EDWARDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alanwoodside7289
The best Baby song out there so say me and my boy (he's 2 years old on the 12th November ) he asks for this song at every opportunity and I Love it because it was my GranDa that first introduced me to Al Jolson when I was about 13 years old and lam passing it onto my first born now
@maureen1938
What an amazing artist Al Jolson was, one of the best entertainers ever. THANK YOU for posting this super share.
@TheSilvergold45
AL JOLSON.. AL WAS SENSATIONAL. WORLD'S GREATEST ENTERTAINER THEY CALLED HIM I CAN SEE WHY..
@Graceland1964
The worlds best of generation until
ELVIS COME ALONG😉
@IndependentGeorge76
the Tony Jackson original contained the line 'you can talk about your jelly roll but none of them compare to mine... pretty baby..."
@littlecasino60
LOL, Oh lordy! I didn't know that... and of course, jelly roll means penis.
@tabanjoman24
Al Jolson has no equal! He's amazing as usual.
@TUAMAEPRODUCOES
i love al jolson's music but damn. despite the artistic value of it, sure could have used a better photo lol
@rionthemagnificent2971
though he also was an outspoken critic of Segregation and was for equal rights long before the civil rights Era. There was an incident where he went apeshit after being denied access to eat with his African American friends in the front of the resturant.
@jas2429
If he only didn't do this with his face. Ugly stupid times.