that is so cool. Wish I had seen that

@@lecil2 I didn’t realize at the time how cool that actually was. 🥲

Eddie Cantor said that. He went to see jolson perform one night and said he couldnt work right for a week afterwards.

He can't sing for shit

True

​@@Louie_The_Dago can you imagine what would have happened if he actually saw the real people who made the music singing it he'd probably die

In a negative or positive way ?

Positive, of course.

second to none that were able to perform and who actually created the music, the authentic sound and the feel of the people from which the music actually came 😏

Paved the way for Black Singers? Paved the way for Sinatra and Al Martino you mean. Why do Jolson supporters always blatantly ignore the existence of Blues musicians which were just as prolific in the 20s' and 30s'?

@@WilliamByronIs Paved the way for Eubie Blake, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong and so many others.

​@@WilliamByronIs Seems that whites rarely saw blacks perform before he forced them to by appearing blackface. Hard to believe but he was tremendously popular. He changed showbiz by showing that the blacks have a lot to contribute.

@@RabbiTuviaBolton Rabbi, I did not stumble upon this video and am deeply aware of Jolson's life, career and influence. I know he was not malicious, I know he was the first superstar, and so forth- not the point. To continue to ignore or rationalize the Blackface- and I'm aware it is "of the time"- you know, it doesn't matter how you feel about it- you're not Black. It upsets Black people. Let's focus on all the NON Blackface stuff Jolson did, how's that?

@@WilliamByronIs It upsets some black people. Some shrug and chuckle. Is it offensive when Dave Chappelle speaks in his "white guy voice"? People need to loosen up and enjoy life and great talent when they are lucky enough to find it.

I agree with you.

He rasict tho what’s wrong wit u 😑

@@ken-zp6ei what evidence do you have that Jolson was racist?

@@tabanjoman24 black face

@@ken-zp6ei That does not make him racist. It was something many entertainers did then. Did you read the article? Jolson more than any entertainer of his era was responsible for popularizing African American music!

@@tabanjoman24 oh thx 🙏

5.00.

Perfect!. He was amazing!! unique voice

His voice was terrible !

@@KeljaSamiNation You're mad.

@@KeljaSamiNation Your face is terrible

And hours....!!

Me too. nothing better than mimickry while the real musicians were broke and exploited. their art form imitated by low quality performers who were hailed as genius 😔

@@markmiller9110 Early in his career, he was in minstrel troops where he was the ONLY WHITE. The rest of the troop were black and wore blackface. It was a makeup, which allowed audiences to see your eyes and mouth in the days before electric lights in theaters. Not racism. Jolson always stood up for black performers. Don’t you know the story about him and Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle?

Are we watching the same performance? In short, I don't find his singing to be anywhere near impressive. Ronnie James Dio from Black Sabbath is a singer and great performer. Also, Ronnie did not dress in black face.

Was it because of the black face?

@@gregorycook5305 Your inability to appreciate music/performers from s different era is not something you should be bragging about.

@@briandavenport8971 The blackface wasnt to offend people nor was it seen as offensive to black people in the 1920s; 90 years ago. And in fact, Al Jolson was a big advocate for equality between black and white people.

Thanks for your post. Very much appreciated.

I sadly am part of that generation. Love this stuff, cancel culture is so stupid and I honestly wish I had lived back then.

If u see moves he does elvis used same many say he was there inspiration

Jolson was one of Elvis's idols. Fact.

But WHY? What was the appeal?

Before Elvis, before Sinatra, before Crosby, there was Jolson.

They all in the same club👻👻👻👻👻👻

You are a racist POS.

Andrew Collins Lol, Jolson loved black people, he thought it was sad that they couldn’t be on broadway so he put on blackface to make them popular, do some research before you talk ill of the dead

@@TheBbtlegit And, you sir are an idiot.

Disgusting. This shit low key racist and creepy as hell. Something from hell

It doesn’t even has a steady tune and it’s sad that there is not one comment regarding this as racist.

Interesting. Thanks!

Very interesting,many thanks 😘😘😘

Real? Talkies weren't around in 1926. This is from much later.

Just to clarify (and not to take credit away from Jolson, the superstar performer of his era), Jolson has literally nothing to do with these innovations. He was simply the star chosen to be in "The Jazz Singer" after George Jessell. Yeah it might not have been a hit without Jolson but he had nothing to do with the decisions nor the science in making a talking film.

He rasict

@@ken-zp6ei From Wikipedia: Jolson's relations with African Americans: Jolson's legacy as the most popular performer of blackface routines was complemented by his relationships with African-Americans and his appreciation and use of African-American cultural trends.[9] Jolson first heard jazz, blues, and ragtime in the alleys of New Orleans. He enjoyed singing jazz, often performing in blackface, especially in the songs he made popular such as "Swanee", "My Mammy", and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody". As a Jewish immigrant and America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer, he may have had the incentive and resources to help improve racial attitudes. While The Birth of a Nation glorified white supremacy and the KKK, Jolson chose to star in The Jazz Singer, which defied racial bigotry by introducing black musicians to audiences worldwide. While growing up, Jolson had many black friends, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who became a prominent tap dancer. As early as 1911, at the age of 25, Jolson was noted for fighting discrimination on Broadway and later in his movies. He promoted a play by Garland Anderson which became the first production with an all-black cast produced on Broadway. He brought a black dance team from San Francisco that he tried to put in a Broadway show. He demanded equal treatment for Cab Calloway, with whom he performed duets in the movie The Singing Kid. Jolson read in the newspaper that songwriters Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, neither of whom he had ever heard of, were refused service at a Connecticut restaurant because of their race. He tracked them down and took them out to dinner, "insisting he'd punch anyone in the nose who tried to kick us out!" According to biographer Al Rose, Jolson and Blake became friends and went to boxing matches together. Film historian Charles Musser notes, "African Americans' embrace of Jolson was not a spontaneous reaction to his appearance in talking pictures. In an era when African Americans did not have to go looking for enemies, Jolson was perceived a friend." Jeni LeGon, a black female tap dance star, recalls her life as a film dancer: "But of course, in those times it was a 'black-and-white world.' You didn't associate too much socially with any of the stars. You saw them at the studio, you know, nice-but they didn't invite. The only ones that ever invited us home for a visit was Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler." British performer Brian Conley, former star of the 1995 British play Jolson, stated during an interview, "I found out Jolson was actually a hero to the black people of America. At his funeral, black actors lined the way, they really appreciated what he'd done for them." Noble Sissle, who was president of the Negro Actors Guild, represented that organization at his funeral. Jolson's physical expressiveness also affected the music styles of some black performers. Music historian Bob Gulla writes that "the most critical influence in Jackie Wilson's young life was Al Jolson." He points out that Wilson's ideas of what a stage performer could do to keep their act an "exciting" and "thrilling performance" was shaped by Jolson's acts, "full of wild writhing and excessive theatrics". Wilson felt that Jolson "should be considered the stylistic [forefather] of rock and roll." According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: "Almost single-handedly, Jolson helped to introduce African-American musical innovations like jazz, ragtime, and the blues to white audiences... [and] paved the way for African-American performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters... to bridge the cultural gap between black and white America. Amiri Baraka wrote, "the entrance of the white man into jazz... did at least bring him much closer to the Negro." He points out that "the acceptance of jazz by whites marks a crucial moment when an aspect of black culture had become an essential part of American culture." Seems to me that Al Jolson did a lot for black people and they really appreciated it.

@@ken-zp6ei Even if you were capable of using verbs and constructing proper sentences, you would still be wrong.

@@MayorMcCheeseStalker shhhh now it’s 2022

He rasict

@@ken-zp6ei From Wikipedia: Jolson's relations with African Americans: Jolson's legacy as the most popular performer of blackface routines was complemented by his relationships with African-Americans and his appreciation and use of African-American cultural trends.[9] Jolson first heard jazz, blues, and ragtime in the alleys of New Orleans. He enjoyed singing jazz, often performing in blackface, especially in the songs he made popular such as "Swanee", "My Mammy", and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody". As a Jewish immigrant and America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer, he may have had the incentive and resources to help improve racial attitudes. While The Birth of a Nation glorified white supremacy and the KKK, Jolson chose to star in The Jazz Singer, which defied racial bigotry by introducing black musicians to audiences worldwide. While growing up, Jolson had many black friends, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who became a prominent tap dancer. As early as 1911, at the age of 25, Jolson was noted for fighting discrimination on Broadway and later in his movies. He promoted a play by Garland Anderson which became the first production with an all-black cast produced on Broadway. He brought a black dance team from San Francisco that he tried to put in a Broadway show. He demanded equal treatment for Cab Calloway, with whom he performed duets in the movie The Singing Kid. Jolson read in the newspaper that songwriters Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, neither of whom he had ever heard of, were refused service at a Connecticut restaurant because of their race. He tracked them down and took them out to dinner, "insisting he'd punch anyone in the nose who tried to kick us out!" According to biographer Al Rose, Jolson and Blake became friends and went to boxing matches together. Film historian Charles Musser notes, "African Americans' embrace of Jolson was not a spontaneous reaction to his appearance in talking pictures. In an era when African Americans did not have to go looking for enemies, Jolson was perceived a friend." Jeni LeGon, a black female tap dance star, recalls her life as a film dancer: "But of course, in those times it was a 'black-and-white world.' You didn't associate too much socially with any of the stars. You saw them at the studio, you know, nice-but they didn't invite. The only ones that ever invited us home for a visit was Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler." British performer Brian Conley, former star of the 1995 British play Jolson, stated during an interview, "I found out Jolson was actually a hero to the black people of America. At his funeral, black actors lined the way, they really appreciated what he'd done for them." Noble Sissle, who was president of the Negro Actors Guild, represented that organization at his funeral. Jolson's physical expressiveness also affected the music styles of some black performers. Music historian Bob Gulla writes that "the most critical influence in Jackie Wilson's young life was Al Jolson." He points out that Wilson's ideas of what a stage performer could do to keep their act an "exciting" and "thrilling performance" was shaped by Jolson's acts, "full of wild writhing and excessive theatrics". Wilson felt that Jolson "should be considered the stylistic [forefather] of rock and roll." According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: "Almost single-handedly, Jolson helped to introduce African-American musical innovations like jazz, ragtime, and the blues to white audiences... [and] paved the way for African-American performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters... to bridge the cultural gap between black and white America. Amiri Baraka wrote, "the entrance of the white man into jazz... did at least bring him much closer to the Negro." He points out that "the acceptance of jazz by whites marks a crucial moment when an aspect of black culture had become an essential part of American culture." Seems to me that Al Jolson did a lot for black people and they really appreciated it.

@ken Imagine getting BTFO by some boomers. Delete your comments bruh, you're embarrassing yourself.

@@ken-zp6ei Jolson was hardly racist. Blackface was an accepted form of theatrical performance back then. As far as Jolson himself is concerned, he was a great advocate of black equality. When he read that the great black songwriter Eubie Blake and his friend were denied entrance to one of New York's most famous restaurants, Jolson invited them to join him at the same restaurant the next night and he said "I'll bust anyone in the nose who tries to stop us". When Cab Calloway made a film with him, he saw that Cab's dressing room was pretty small and he told the producer that he would quit the film unless Cab had the exact same sized dressing room as he did.

Meaning exactly?@@ken-zp6ei

he was a white guy , not black

@@gremlinuk1968 That's what I said. Al Jolson was probably the only white guy that visited black only night clubs in Harlem.

You missed the bit about him watching lesser known stars, stealing their acts and using them himself in the big theatres, and then threatening to sue them if they steal his act. He made sure to wipe out the competiton before they had chance to make it big. I'm not aware of Jolson refusing to go on stage if blacks weren't allowed on, all his performances have white actor's blacked up

@@henryratajczak3071 yes and he stole their acts, then performed them at large venues, sending a telegram threating to sue anyone that used his act without permission and paying to do so

@@alberttatlock5237 so he was protecting his act. Any performer will do the same for heaven's sake. Show business is as cutthroat as any other work. You think Madonna or whoever lets anyone rip off their music without suing the fuck out of them?

I can’t tell if you’re joking…

@@macieham.629 I never joke about race. It's poor taste.

@@MrPorkmann Al Jolson was a white singer who frequently performed in blackface. So yes, while his voice is amazing, you can’t exactly call him a trailblazer for what he was doing

@@macieham.629 Hello Macie, that is a common misconception due to Al's physical similarity to Asa Yoelson the Jewish singer. Al was born in Alabama to poor sharecroppers Samuel and Rachel Jolson both enslaved as children. Incidentally Al is a distant relation of Samuel L. Davis the African American (Jewish/Welsh) star of hit films such as Ghostbusters and Trading Places. A talented family!

@@MrPorkmann you got this all wrong, Al Jolson given name was Asa Yoelson, he was born in Lithuania and changed his name to be more recognizable to American audiences. One google search disproves your entire argument.

how old are you

that shit must've been wild

Can't tell lower from upper case, possessive from plural. Idiot.

Freaking racists

@@paulweir5031 I think they're making fun of the title to the video

Try the "Jolson Story", 1946 stars Larry Parks and features Jolson singing

Yeah dude, he has two

I get what you mean, a proper, factual, dramatic work. While I will always love the the Larry Parks films, they are done in a very 'light and fluffy' way with the plot of the film being more important than the facts. Jolson has such a fascinating story and an amazing career of breathtaking highs and depressing lows. But, given today's sensibilities, it probably wouldn't even get written, much less get made!

@@jamesbyersmusic The Jolson Story is a very strange film. It wasn't unusual for Hollywood biography films in the 1940s to invent fictitious "life stories" that had the bare bones of the person's real life events. The Jolson Story whitewashes the Judaism of Jolson's family and shows his parents accepting without any protest or qualm his establishing a career in show business at a very young age and his marrying a woman who isn't Jewish (Jolson was married several times but the Jolson Story features only one wife, who's fictionalised but is based on his marriage to Ruby Keeler). I would think they would have wanted to highlight some of tensions between Jolson's Jewish heritage and his wish to be Americanized, like the themes of the Jazz Singer. But I guess the studio and the times wanted a glossy tribute to Jolson without exploration of the conflicts he faced during his youth and career. I think a modern biopic that examines the issues of race and religion during his life and stardom would be fascinating.

Try again and do a poss of your dgein

Really? They always played poor black characters with slave accents. Don't black people deserve a better life? Don't they deserve to go to college and get a doctorate? They don't deserve to be laughed at or demoted as inferior people.

That’s what Trudeau said.

Why didn't they use a real black man?

​​@@weirdmatter because Jolson was irreplaceable

Exactly he never intend to offend black folks

If it weren't for technology, we wouldn't be able to appreciate him. He died before I was born.

So Cool1 omg frr🤣😒.

So Cool1 its sad people are looking pass the fact that is so racist.

nanababes: It wasn’t considered racist 90 years ago, Einstein. Jolson was a fave of African Americans. Perform your due diligence before making moronic statements.

@@varietyguy ok? This is still incredibly racist. Just because it wasn’t “considered” racist doesn’t mean it isn’t.

You're brain dead. Go play Fortnite.

Well he was a freaking racist.

@@codyleslie478 Well done for applying today’s values to a singer from 90 years ago.

@@Coltnz1 people do that every day. Why do you think people are tearing down statues and rewriting our history books?

@@codyleslie478 Such pathetic virtue-signalling.

@@codyleslie478 From Wikipedia: Jolson's relations with African Americans: Jolson's legacy as the most popular performer of blackface routines was complemented by his relationships with African-Americans and his appreciation and use of African-American cultural trends.[9] Jolson first heard jazz, blues, and ragtime in the alleys of New Orleans. He enjoyed singing jazz, often performing in blackface, especially in the songs he made popular such as "Swanee", "My Mammy", and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody". As a Jewish immigrant and America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer, he may have had the incentive and resources to help improve racial attitudes. While The Birth of a Nation glorified white supremacy and the KKK, Jolson chose to star in The Jazz Singer, which defied racial bigotry by introducing black musicians to audiences worldwide. While growing up, Jolson had many black friends, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who became a prominent tap dancer. As early as 1911, at the age of 25, Jolson was noted for fighting discrimination on Broadway and later in his movies. He promoted a play by Garland Anderson which became the first production with an all-black cast produced on Broadway. He brought a black dance team from San Francisco that he tried to put in a Broadway show. He demanded equal treatment for Cab Calloway, with whom he performed duets in the movie The Singing Kid. Jolson read in the newspaper that songwriters Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, neither of whom he had ever heard of, were refused service at a Connecticut restaurant because of their race. He tracked them down and took them out to dinner, "insisting he'd punch anyone in the nose who tried to kick us out!" According to biographer Al Rose, Jolson and Blake became friends and went to boxing matches together. Film historian Charles Musser notes, "African Americans' embrace of Jolson was not a spontaneous reaction to his appearance in talking pictures. In an era when African Americans did not have to go looking for enemies, Jolson was perceived a friend." Jeni LeGon, a black female tap dance star, recalls her life as a film dancer: "But of course, in those times it was a 'black-and-white world.' You didn't associate too much socially with any of the stars. You saw them at the studio, you know, nice-but they didn't invite. The only ones that ever invited us home for a visit was Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler." British performer Brian Conley, former star of the 1995 British play Jolson, stated during an interview, "I found out Jolson was actually a hero to the black people of America. At his funeral, black actors lined the way, they really appreciated what he'd done for them." Noble Sissle, who was president of the Negro Actors Guild, represented that organization at his funeral. Jolson's physical expressiveness also affected the music styles of some black performers. Music historian Bob Gulla writes that "the most critical influence in Jackie Wilson's young life was Al Jolson." He points out that Wilson's ideas of what a stage performer could do to keep their act an "exciting" and "thrilling performance" was shaped by Jolson's acts, "full of wild writhing and excessive theatrics". Wilson felt that Jolson "should be considered the stylistic [forefather] of rock and roll." According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: "Almost single-handedly, Jolson helped to introduce African-American musical innovations like jazz, ragtime, and the blues to white audiences... [and] paved the way for African-American performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters... to bridge the cultural gap between black and white America. Amiri Baraka wrote, "the entrance of the white man into jazz... did at least bring him much closer to the Negro." He points out that "the acceptance of jazz by whites marks a crucial moment when an aspect of black culture had become an essential part of American culture." Seems to me that Al Jolson did a lot for black people and they really appreciated it.

Waythist

Wait a minute , you ain't heard nothing yet, he was simply the best 😮

@@rodsmith-eb1uu yes I agree ☝️

clasystems has

Even the chickens loved to hear him sing! 😉👍

I love watching the chickens in the background. They wouldn't show them now- too racist to show live chickens. I watched a video from the 1940s with Dorothy Dandridge singing Easy Street and I was astounded that the video featured the African American performers stealing chickens as a "joke".

hella racist

@@afrahtoney3702 Not at all, actually.

@@xanderrussell317 Yes, those

@@xanderrussell317 I was being facetiously polite, not serious

Professor was also used for any orchestral director

Just out of honest curiosity,how would this influence any black performances of any date and do you have a particular black performer to be your example?

@@yhwhgedula-no.1944 Sammy Davis Jr. for one.

@@yhwhgedula-no.1944 Sammy Davis Jr. for one

@@loverofcountry506070 greetings....I won't even say to you nice try or guess because it's more accurate to say this is an insult to his legacy. In the 70s I was in elementary school, where I did my 1st essay for black history month, and guess who it was on?? I checked out a book on him Sammy Davis Jr. I read his bio and everything. Lol SMH, even the fact that his Parents were entertainers, he (SDJ)(YOB)1925 joined their act at the ripe age of 3yrs old, So please...

So I'll have to take your so called "for one" and toss it! into the reject bin, no points for your wild guess!

That was funny. Thanks for the smile.

that's became he is Jolson

That was the real Al Jolson, Larry Parks is the one imitating him.

Yes, and you sound absolutely virtuous. That's what you were going for, right?

Uno de mis cantantes favoritos. Y hermosas sus películas.!!!🎶🎵🎼🎹

He was - because he was singin.'

he eat some magic apple

How do you know he is a slave.? I wear worse, torn, clothes mowing the lawn.

Al Jolson said that singing in black face and on stage was his prayer - soulful and loving

This is from a musical short called “A plantation act”. It was recorded on the Vitaphone system, as was “The Jazz singer”; But released a year earlier.

This was made in 1926. Both Jolson and Georgie Jessel recorded shorts for Warner Brothers using Vita-phone. The studio coerced Jolson into doing dialogue as well.

Actually, The Jazz Singer was not the first "all-talking" movie. It was a silent film, had title cards, and featured some sound segments. The first all-talking movie was Lights of New York (1928). The Jolson video shown here was a Vitaphone short, released in 1926. There were short films with sound even before that.

this is outrageous

@GARYPUSSY stop being racist jerks:)

this isnt black music hun :)

@@theecreator20 No one here is being racist, though...

I don't think you know good singing if you think this is better than ANY Motown singers. His voice isn't special in anyway.

No, that was in 1895 (altho no singing). Many song film shorts were made in the beginning of the 20th century. There were quite a few companies making them.

gdw1910 it’s the first with the real audio of the clip, anything with audio made before had separate video and audio that were played simultaneously

@@tykomarquer No, it is not. First of all, it is not video - it is film. This Vitaphone used a record which played with the film, it is not sound on film. Many companies made sound films this way long before Jolson or Vitaphone. Sound on film existed years before this, many made by Lee DeForest, and others. The fact that a talking picture used a dual system (like this Jolson film) does not prevent it from being a talking picture.

your right . sounds more like a 40s recording.

Given that it includes both syncronized singing and dialogue, it must have been recorded post Jazz Singer, which was 1927. I'd say late twenties, very early thirties.

It's a verifone production with picture and record behind stage

yeah he's actually singing well and everything so it doesn't feel mean-spirited really.

Have you seen the photos of young 'Castro jnr' ie Justin Trudeu in blackface ?

@@joefish6091 No

A real racist.

Lol, Jolson loved black people, he thought it was sad that they couldn’t be on broadway so he put on blackface to make them popular, do some research before you talk ill of the dead

@@coypandora0795 thank you, finally someone says the truth

He was singing it live.

Yes, it's 1926, and no, The Jazz Singer is not the first talkie. They were attempting all sorts of sound movies since 1895.

Julie Desnick it was a vitaphone variety. It was the technology that eventually made the talkies.

@@w.a.a. "The Jazz Singer" was the first commercially successful talkie.

@@bernardbrenner6088 No, it was not. It is a silent film. Only a few minutes of talking or singing are in it. Few people could see it as hardly any theaters were wired for sound. The Singing Fool created more of a sensation the next year when more theaters were wired. And even that was still part silent.