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Al Jolson |
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| FTLComm - Tisdale - Monday, May 3, 2004 | |||||||
| Born in Lithuania, his father a Rabbi and he and is brother trained to sing and perform as children. He was on the road playing in theatres as a teenager. | |||||||
| Al Jolson was the first superstar, he was a broadway perform, sold hit records as the recording industry was beginning, was the star in the first talking movie and enjoyed huge success on live network radio. | |||||||
| His early act involved painting his face black and doing a African American accent. Though offensive today it was in the 1920s and 30s long before racial awareness. The stylised burnt cork make-up was in some ways a strange way of recognising the rich culture of black America at a time when racial segregation was the norm. | |||||||
| In my first year of collage I performed in a University music review and two others and I wore burnt cork and tuxes to play the part of an American theatrical tradition. In 1962 it was bewildering but I wanted the part and the burnt cork was required. | |||||||
| Jolson's personal life was far less than successful. Four failed marriages and a good deal of carrying on. Al Jolson was definitely not a saint, but the guy sure could sing. The movie made of his life used his own voice simply because his delivery was simply the best. | |||||||
| Those songs of his were written by some of the greatest composers and remain the standard by which a great song is judged. | |||||||
| Take a moment and check out the references. | |||||||
| Reference: | |||||||
Kenrick, John, Al Jolson: A Biography, 2003, Musicals101.com web site |
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Al Jolson, the first superstar |
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