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124-479: Originally titled Rancho Canova , the program began as a summer replacement for a show that starred Al Jolson . The sponsor later decided to not bring The Al Jolson Show back but to continue the Canova program instead. When Canova's program went off the air, it was replaced by Colgate Theater of Romance , which dramatized famous love stories. The program's premise was that the fictional version of Judy Canova moved from

248-402: A Newsweek interview. "I remember 'The Jazz Singer,' when Al Jolson just burst into song, and there was a little bit of dialogue. And when he came out with 'Mammy,' and went down on his knees to his Mammy, it was just dynamite." This opinion is shared by Mast and Kawin: this moment of informal patter at the piano is the most exciting and vital part of the entire movie ... when Jolson acquires

372-579: A 1942 interview in The New York Times : "When the war started ... [I] felt that it was up to me to do something, and the only thing I know is show business. I went around during the last war and I saw that the boys needed something besides chow and drills. I knew the same was true today, so I told the people in Washington that I would go anywhere and do an act for the Army." Shortly after the war began, he wrote

496-435: A Brooklyn theater in 1904, Jolson began performing in blackface , which boosted his career. He began wearing blackface in all of his shows. In late 1905, Harry left the trio after an argument with Jolson. Harry had refused his request to take care of Joe Palmer, who was in a wheelchair. After Harry's departure, Jolson and Palmer worked as a duo but were not particularly successful. By 1906 they agreed to separate, and Jolson

620-500: A New Orleans hotel to an audience of 35 million via 47 radio stations. His own 1930s shows included Presenting Al Jolson (1932) and Shell Chateau (1935), and he was the host of the Kraft Music Hall from 1947 to 1949, with Oscar Levant as a sardonic, piano-playing sidekick. Jolson's 1940s career revival was nothing short of a success despite the competition of younger performers such as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra , and he

744-457: A black cast was King Vidor 's Hallelujah of 1929. African-American performers were featured in the musical Show Boat (which had a part written for Paul Robeson and a chorus of Jubilee Singers), and especially all-black operas such as Porgy and Bess and Virgil Thomson 's Four Saints in Three Acts of 1934. The first symphony by a black composer to be performed by a major orchestra

868-460: A circular dance accompanied by chanting and handclapping. On occasion, the participants would enter into ecstatic trances. In the late 18th century folk spirituals originated among Southern slaves following their conversion to Christianity. Slaves reinterpreted the practice of Christianity in a way that had meaning to them as Africans in America. They often sang the spirituals in groups as they worked

992-524: A close, other African Americans endeavored to concertize as classical musicians in an effort to transcend racial and nationalistic barriers in the post-war era. In 1968 Henry Lewis became the first African-American instrumentalist in a leading American symphony orchestra, an early "musical ambassador" in support of cultural diplomacy in Europe, and the first African-American conductor of a major American symphonic ensemble in 1968. The term "rock and roll" had

1116-487: A comedy sequence with Jolson doggedly trying to sing "Mammy" while The Yacht Club Boys keep telling him such songs are outdated. According to jazz historian Michael Alexander, Jolson had once griped that "People have been making fun of Mammy songs, and I don't really think that it's right that they should, for after all, Mammy songs are the fundamental songs of our country." (He said this, in character, in his 1926 short A Plantation Act .) In this film, he notes, "Jolson had

1240-498: A dance revolution, 1959 saw Hank Ballard releasing a song tailored for the new dance craze, "The Twist," which would become a sensation defining the early '60s. In 1959, Berry Gordy founded Motown Records , the first record label to primarily feature African-American artists, which aimed at achieving crossover success. The label developed an innovative, and commercially successful, style of soul music with distinctive pop elements. Its early roster included The Miracles , Martha and

1364-781: A day in the jungle outposts of Central America and covered the string of U.S. Naval bases. He paid for part of the transportation out of his own pocket. Upon doing his first, and unannounced, show in England in 1942, the reporter for the Hartford Courant wrote, "... it was a panic. And pandemonium ... when he was done the applause that shook that soldier-packed room was like bombs falling again in Shaftsbury Avenue." From an article in The New York Times : African-American music Religious music Ethnic music Charts Festivals Media Other African-American music

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1488-459: A distinctive type of music that played an important role in the era of enslavement. Slave songs, commonly known as work songs , were used to combat the hardships of the physical labor. Work songs were also used to communicate with other slaves without the slave owner hearing. The song " Wade in the Water " was sung by slaves to warn others trying to leave to use the water to obscure their trail. Following

1612-468: A letter to Steven Early, press secretary to President Franklin D. Roosevelt , volunteering "to head a committee for the entertainment of soldiers and said that he "would work without pay ... [and] would gladly assist in the organization to be set up for this purpose". A few weeks later, he received his first tour schedule from the newly formed United Services Organization (USO), "the group his letter to Early had helped create". He did as many as four shows

1736-491: A matter of endless study, observation, energetic concentration to obtain, perfectly if possible, a simulation of the kind of man he was. It is not surprising, therefore, that while making The Jolson Story , I spent 107 days before the cameras and lost eighteen pounds in weight." From a review in Variety : But the real star of the production is that Jolson voice and that Jolson medley (curiously, even astoundingly uncredited) . It

1860-447: A medium as intimate as television. He finally relented in 1950, when it was announced that Jolson had signed an agreement to appear on the CBS television network, presumably in a series of specials. However, he died suddenly before production began. Japanese bombs on Pearl Harbor shook Jolson out of continuing moods of lethargy due to years of little activity and "... he dedicated himself to

1984-475: A new mission in life.... Even before the U.S.O. began to set up a formal program overseas, Jolson was deluging War and Navy Department brass with phone calls and wires. He requested permission to go anywhere in the world where there was an American serviceman who wouldn't mind listening to 'Sonny Boy' or 'Mammy'.... [and] early in 1942, Jolson became the first star to perform at a GI base in World War II". From

2108-525: A new style of unaccompanied four-part, close-harmony singing. Later, white minstrel singers stole the style, and in the early days of the recording industry their performances were recorded and sold. By the end of the 19th century, African-American music was an integral part of mainstream American culture. In a groundbreaking moment in 1898, Broadway witnessed the debut of the first musical created by African Americans, courtesy of Bob Cole and Billy Johnson. The musical landscape saw another milestone in 1890 with

2232-452: A practice called pattin Juba . The Juba dance was originally brought by Kongo slaves to Charleston, South Carolina , and became an African-American plantation dance performed by slaves during gatherings when rhythm instruments were prohibited. Folk spirituals, unlike much white gospel, were often spirited. Slaves added dancing (later known as " the shout ") and other body movements to

2356-401: A prominent role in the musical arrangement. Simultaneously, a secularized version of American gospel music , known as soul ,emerged in the mid-1950s, led by trailblazers like Ray Charles , Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke . This soulful wave had a profound impact, influencing not only surf music but also paving the way for chart-topping girl groups like The Angels and The Shangri-Las . In

2480-744: A repetitive, improvised style. The most common song structures are the call-and-response ("Blow, Gabriel") and repetitive choruses ("He Rose from the Dead"). The call-and-response is an alternating exchange between the soloist and the other singers. The soloist usually improvises a line to which the other singers respond, repeating the same phrase. Song interpretation incorporates the interjections of moans, cries, hollers, and changing vocal timbres, and can be accompanied by hand clapping and foot-stomping. The Smithsonian Institution Folkways Recordings have samples of African American slave shout songs. The influence of African Americans on mainstream American music began in

2604-413: A rural area to California in hopes that her Aunt Aggie could help her to become more sophisticated. Episodes included situation-comedy segments related to Canova's interactions with family and friends, one of whom was Benchley Botsford, her love interest. Canova usually sang three songs in each episode, including one just after the show came on and one just before it went off. Besides Canova, characters and

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2728-437: A secular home in the blues, jazz, and even later popular styles like hip hop". Scholar LeRhonda S. Manigault-Bryant explained Gullah spirituals are sacred music that connects Black Americans to ancestral spirits. She said: "I am suggesting that low country sacred music simultaneously takes on a cyclical and linear quality, which is best exemplified in the use of the low country clap, and the repetition of verses that literally push

2852-479: A secular setting was successful, and he arranged gospel caravans that traveled around the country playing venues that rhythm and blues singers had popularized. Meanwhile, jazz performers began to move away from swing towards music with more intricate arrangements, more improvisation, and technically challenging forms. This culminated in bebop , the modal jazz of Miles Davis , and the free jazz of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane . African-American musicians in

2976-514: A sense that something remarkable was happening. Jolson's "Wait a minute" line provoked shouts of pleasure and applause from the audience, who were dumbfounded by seeing and hearing someone speak on a film for the first time, so much so that the double-entendre was missed at first. After each Jolson song, the audience applauded. Excitement mounted as the film progressed, and when Jolson began his scene with Eugenie Besserer , "the audience became hysterical". According to film historian Scott Eyman , "by

3100-429: A song forward to invoke The Spirit. The rhythmic practices and theological motifs of this music suspend and push time by connecting with past traditions, while denoting a spiritual bond that is simultaneously ancestral, communal, and divine". Slaves also used drums to communicate messages of escape. In West Africa, drums are used for communication, celebration, and spiritual ceremonies. West African people enslaved in

3224-442: A strong sexual connotation in jump blues and R&B, but when DJ Alan Freed referred to rock and roll on mainstream radio in the mid 50s, "the sexual component had been dialed down enough that it simply became an acceptable term for dancing". R&B was a strong influence on rock and roll, according to many sources, including a 1985 Wall Street Journal article titled, "Rock! It's Still Rhythm and Blues". The author states that

3348-403: A unique and vibrant chapter to the history of African American contributions to the musical realm. The early part of the 20th century saw a rise in popularity of blues and jazz . African-American music at this time was classed as "race music". Ralph Peer , musical director at Okeh Records , put records made by "foreign" groups under that label. At the time "race" was a term commonly used by

3472-668: A variety of roles, and the Sportsmen Quartet and The Southerners sang. Howard Petrie was the announcer, and Charles Dant led the orchestra. Joe Rines produced and directed, with Fred Fox, Henry Hoople, John Ward, Bill Demling. and Arthur Phillips as writers. In April 1954, the trade publication Variety reported that CBS planned to have a 90-minute program that would have Canova as star and feature stars of both films and recordings. Apparently that plan never reached fruition. Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson , Yiddish : אַסאַ יואלסאָן ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950)

3596-479: A vaudeville performer known as Harry Yoelson. The brothers worked for the William Morris Agency . Jolson and Harry formed a team with Joe Palmer. During their time with Palmer, they were able to gain bookings in a nationwide tour. However, live performances were falling in popularity as nickelodeons attracted audiences; by 1908, nickelodeon theaters were dominant throughout New York City. While performing in

3720-412: A voice, the warmth, the excitement, the vibrations of it, the way its rambling spontaneity lays bare the imagination of the mind that is making up the sounds ... [and] the addition of a Vitaphone voice revealed the particular qualities of Al Jolson that made him a star. Not only the eyes are a window on the soul. With Warner Bros. Al Jolson made his first "all-talking" picture, The Singing Fool (1928),

3844-944: Is Al Jolson", showcasing Jolson's complex legacy in American society. Asa Yoelson was Jewish. He was born in the village of Srednike ( Yiddish : סרעדניק ), now known as Seredžius , near Kaunas in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire . He was the fifth and youngest child of Nechama "Naomi" (née Cantor, c.  1858 –1895) and Moses Rubin Yoelson ( c.  1858 –1945); his four siblings were Rose ( c.  1879 –1939), Etta ( c.  1880 –1948), another sister who died in infancy, and Hirsch (Harry) ( c.  1882 –1953). Jolson did not know his date of birth, as birth records were not kept at that time in that region, and he gave his birth year as 1885. In 1891, his father, who

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3968-490: Is Mr. Jolson's best film and well it might be, for that clever director, Lewis Milestone , guided its destiny ... a combination of fun, melody and romance, with a dash of satire...." Another review added, "A film to welcome back, especially for what it tries to do for the progress of the American musical...." In 1934, he starred in a movie version of his earlier stage play Wonder Bar , co-starring Kay Francis , Dolores del Río , Ricardo Cortez , and Dick Powell . The movie

4092-530: Is a "musical Grand Hotel , set in the Parisian nightclub owned by Al Wonder (Jolson). Wonder entertains and banters with his international clientele." Reviews were generally positive: " Wonder Bar has got about everything. Romance, flash, dash, class, color, songs, star-studded talent and almost every known requisite to assure sturdy attention and attendance.... It's Jolson's comeback picture in every respect."; and, "Those who like Jolson should see Wonder Bar for it

4216-690: Is a broad term covering a diverse range of musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture . Its origins are in musical forms that developed as a result of the enslavement of African Americans prior to the American Civil War . It has been said that "every genre that is born from America has black roots." White slave owners subjugated their slaves physically, mentally, and spiritually through brutal and demeaning acts. White Americans considered African Americans separate and unequal for centuries, going to extraordinary lengths to keep them oppressed. African-American slaves created

4340-504: Is central to other white jazz biopics such as The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and The Benny Goodman Story (1955)". "Once we accept a semantic change from singing to playing the clarinet, The Benny Goodman Story becomes an almost transparent reworking of The Jazz Singer ... and The Jolson Story ." A sequel, Jolson Sings Again (1949), opened at Loew 's State Theatre in New York and received positive reviews: "Mr. Jolson's name

4464-463: Is mainly Jolson; singing the old reliables; cracking jokes which would have impressed Noah as depressingly ancient; and moving about with characteristic energy." Jolson's last Warner vehicle was The Singing Kid (1936), a parody of Jolson's stage persona (he plays a character named Al Jackson) in which he mocks his stage histrionics and taste for "mammy" songs — the latter via a number by E. Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen titled "I Love to Singa", and

4588-509: Is the old-time minstrel man turned to modern account. With a song, a word, or even a suggestion he calls forth spontaneous laughter. And here you have the definition of a born comedian." Before The Jazz Singer , Jolson starred in the talking film A Plantation Act . This simulation of a stage performance by Jolson was presented in a program of musical shorts, demonstrating the Vitaphone sound-film process. The soundtrack for A Plantation Act

4712-504: Is up in lights again and Broadway is wreathed in smiles", wrote Thomas Pryor in The New York Times . "That's as it should be, for Jolson Sings Again is an occasion which warrants some lusty cheering...." Jolson did a tour of New York film theaters to plug the movie, traveling with a police convoy to make timetables for all showings, often ad libbing jokes and performing songs for the audience. Extra police were on duty as crowds jammed

4836-516: The Civil War , African Americans employed playing European music in military bands developed a new style called ragtime that gradually evolved into jazz . Jazz incorporated the sophisticated polyrhythmic structure of dance and folk music of peoples from western and Sub-Saharan Africa . These musical forms had a wide-ranging influence on the development of music within the United States and around

4960-773: The Music School Settlement for Colored and the Martin-Smith School of Music, were founded in New York. The Music School Settlement for Colored became a sponsor of the Clef Club orchestra in New York. The Clef Club Symphony Orchestra attracted both black and white audiences to concerts at Carnegie Hall from 1912 to 1915. Conducted by James Reese Europe and William H. Tyers, the orchestra included banjos, mandolins, and baritone horns. Concerts featured music written by black composers, notably Harry T. Burleigh and Will Marion Cook . Other annual black concert series include

5084-620: The Oberlin School of Music , National Conservatory of Music , and the New England Conservatory . Black people also formed symphony orchestras in major cities such as Chicago, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. Various black orchestras began to perform regularly in the late 1890s and the early 20th century. In 1906, the first incorporated black orchestra was established in Philadelphia. In the early 1910s, all-black music schools, such as

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5208-749: The Underground Railroad and were sung by enslaved African Americans in plantation fields to send coded messages to other slaves, unbeknownst to the slaveholders. According to musicologist and historian Eric Sean Crawford who published Gullah Spirituals: The Sound of Freedom and Protest in the South Carolina Sea Islands , Gullah music influenced all genres of American music. Crawford said: "All genres of music have been influenced by Gullah Geechee spirituals. This music's bent notes, syncopated rhythms, and improvisational qualities heavily influenced gospel and country music. These musical traits found

5332-412: The natural harmonic series and blue notes . "If one considers the five criteria given by Waterman as cluster characteristics for West African music, one finds that three have been well documented as being characteristic of Afro-American music. Call-and-response organizational procedures, dominance of a percussive approach to music, and off-beat phrasing of melodic accents have been cited as typical of

5456-673: The wah wah pedal to create a unique guitar solo sound. Psychedelic soul , a mix of psychedelic rock and soul began to flourish with the 1960s culture. Even more popular among black people, and with more crossover appeal, was album-oriented soul in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which revolutionized African-American music. The genre's intelligent and introspective lyrics, often with a socially aware tone, were created by artists such as Marvin Gaye in What's Going On , and Stevie Wonder in Innervisions . In

5580-461: The "Harlem Hit Parade", which was changed in 1945 to " Race Records ", and then in 1949 to "Rhythm and Blues Records". By the 1940s, cover versions of African-American songs were commonplace, frequently topping the charts while the original versions did not reach the mainstream. In 1955, Thurman Ruth persuaded a gospel group to sing in the Apollo Theater . This presentation of gospel music in

5704-474: The "two terms were used interchangeably", until about 1957. Fats Domino was not convinced that there was any new genre. In 1957 he said: "What they call rock 'n' roll now is rhythm and blues. I've been playing it for 15 years in New Orleans". According to Rolling Stone , "this is a valid statement ... all Fifties rockers, black and white, country born and city bred, were fundamentally influenced by R&B,

5828-594: The 1940s and 1950s were developing rhythm and blues into rock and roll , which featured a strong backbeat . Prominent exponents of this style included Louis Jordan and Wynonie Harris . Rock and roll music became commercially successful with recordings of white musicians, however, such as Bill Haley and Elvis Presley , playing a guitar-based fusion of black rock and roll and rockabilly . Rock music became more associated with white artists, although some black performers such as Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley had commercial success. In 2017, National Public Radio wrote about

5952-747: The 1970s, album-oriented soul continued its popularity while musicians such as Smokey Robinson helped turn it into Quiet Storm music. Funk evolved into two strands, a pop-soul-jazz-bass fusion pioneered by Sly & the Family Stone , and a more psychedelic fusion epitomized by George Clinton and his P-Funk ensemble. Disco evolved from black musicians creating soul music with an up-tempo melody. Isaac Hayes , Barry White , Donna Summer , and others helped popularize disco, which gained mainstream success. Some African-American artists including The Jackson 5 , Roberta Flack , Teddy Pendergrass , Dionne Warwick , Stevie Wonder , The O'Jays , Gladys Knight &

6076-486: The 19th century with the advent of blackface minstrelsy . The banjo , of African origin, became a popular instrument, and its African-derived rhythms were incorporated into popular songs by Stephen Foster and other songwriters. Over time the banjo's construction adopted some European traditions such as a flat fingerboard. Some banjos had five strings, in contrast to the West African three-string version. This resulted in

6200-532: The African-American press to speak of the community as a whole with an empowering point of view, as a person of "race" was one involved in fighting for equal rights. Ragtime performers such as Scott Joplin became popular and some were associated with the Harlem Renaissance and early civil rights activists. White and Latino performers of African-American music were also visible. African-American music

6324-537: The Alice Faye- Don Ameche film Hollywood Cavalcade . Guest appearances in two more Fox films followed that same year, but Jolson never starred in a full-length feature film again. After the George M. Cohan film biography, Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky believed that a similar film could be made about Al Jolson. Skolsky pitched the idea of an Al Jolson biopic and Harry Cohn ,

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6448-1267: The Americas from the western coast of Africa. This area encompasses modern-day Nigeria , Ghana , Ivory Coast , Senegal , Gambia and parts of Sierra Leone . Harmonic and rhythmic features from these areas, European musical instrumentation, and the chattel slavery forced upon Black Americans all contributed to their music. Many of the characteristic musical forms that define African-American music have historical precedents. These earlier forms include: field hollers , beat boxing , work song , Spoken Word , rapping , scatting , call and response , vocality (or special vocal effect: guttural effects, interpolated vocality, falsetto , melisma , vocal rhythmization), improvisation , blue notes , polyrhythms ( syncopation , concrescence, tension, improvisation, percussion, swung note ), texture ( antiphony , homophony , polyphony , heterophony ) and harmony (vernacular progressions ; complex, multi-part harmony , as in spirituals , Doo Wop , and barbershop music ). American composer Olly Wilson outlines "heterogeneous sound ideals" that define traditional and common patterns in African Music , such as

6572-488: The Coast, and since Duke Ellington and his band had done a film, wasn't it possible for me and the band to do this one with Jolson. Frenchy got on the phone to California, spoke to someone connected with the film and the next thing I knew the band and I were booked into Chicago on our way to California for the film, The Singing Kid . We had a hell of a time, although I had some pretty rough arguments with Harold Arlen, who had written

6696-460: The Pips , and Earth, Wind & Fire found crossover audiences, while white listeners preferred country rock , singer-songwriters, stadium rock , soft rock , glam rock , and, to some degree, heavy metal and punk rock . During the 1970s, The Dozens , an urban African-American tradition of using playful rhyming ridicule, developed into street jive in the early '70s, which in turn inspired hip-hop by

6820-595: The United States continued to make drums to send coded messages to other slaves across plantations. The making and use of drums by enslaved Africans was outlawed after the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina in 1739. Enslaved African Americans used drums to send coded messages to start slave revolts , and white slaveholders banned the creation and use of drums. After the banning of drums, slaves made rhythmic music by slapping their knees, thighs, arms and other body parts,

6944-671: The Vandellas , Marvin Gaye , The Temptations , and The Supremes . Black divas such as Aretha Franklin became '60s crossover stars. In the UK, British blues became a gradually mainstream phenomenon, returning to the United States in the form of the British Invasion , a group of bands led by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones who performed blues and R&B-inspired pop with both traditional and modern aspects. WGIV in Charlotte, North Carolina ,

7068-676: The William Hackney's "All-Colored Composers" concerts in Chicago and the Atlanta Colored Music Festivals. The return of the black musical to Broadway occurred in 1921 with Sissle and Eubie Blake 's Shuffle Along . In 1927, a concert survey of black music was performed at Carnegie Hall including jazz, spirituals and the symphonic music of W. C. Handy 's Orchestra and the Jubilee Singers. The first major film musical with

7192-480: The Winter Garden, Jolson told the audience, "You ain't heard nothing yet" before performing additional songs. In the play, he debuted his signature blackface character "Gus". Winter Garden owner Lee Shubert signed Jolson to a seven-year contract with a salary of $ 1,000 a week. Jolson reprised his role as "Gus" in future plays and by 1914 achieved so much popularity with theater audiences that his $ 1,000-a-week salary

7316-407: The actors who portrayed them are shown in the table below: Elvia Allman and Hans Conried were also heard regularly in a variety of roles, and the Sportsmen Quartet sang. Announcers were Ken Niles , Howard Petrie , and Verne Smith; Orchestra leaders were Opie Cates , Charles Dant , and Gordon Jenkins . The program was created by J. Donald Wilson and produced initially by Diana Bourbon , who

7440-420: The age of 35, Jolson was the youngest man in American history to have a theatre named after him. But on the opening night of Bombo , the first performance at the new theatre, he suffered from stage fright, walking up and down the streets for hours before showtime. Out of fear, he lost his voice backstage and begged the stagehands not to raise the curtains. But when the curtains went up, he "was [still] standing in

7564-415: The air.' After Dockstader refuses to accommodate Jolson's revolutionary concept, the narrative chronicles his climb to stardom as he allegedly injects jazz into his blackface performances.... Jolson's success is built on anticipating what Americans really want. Dockstader performs the inevitable function of the guardian of the status quo, whose hidebound commitment to what is about to become obsolete reinforces

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7688-400: The audience's sympathy with the forward-looking hero. This has been a theme which was traditionally "dear to the hearts of the men who made the movies". Film historian George Custen describes this "common scenario, in which the hero is vindicated for innovations that are initially greeted with resistance.... [T]he struggle of the heroic protagonist who anticipates changes in cultural attitudes

7812-490: The audience, "I'm a happy man tonight." In March 1922, he moved the production to the larger Century Theater for a benefit performance to aid injured Jewish veterans of World War I. After taking the show on the road for a season, he returned in May 1923, to perform Bombo at the Winter Garden. The reviewer for The New York Times wrote, "He returned like the circus, bigger and brighter and newer than ever.... Last night's audience

7936-562: The band and I got out to Hollywood, we were treated like pure royalty. Here were Jolson and I living in adjacent penthouses in a very plush hotel. We were costars in the film so we received equal treatment, no question about it. The Singing Kid was not one of the studio's major attractions (it was released by the First National subsidiary), and Jolson did not even rate star billing. " I Love to Singa " later appeared in Tex Avery 's cartoon of

8060-489: The black popular music of the late Forties and early Fifties". Elvis Presley's recognition of the importance of artists such as Fats Domino was significant, according to a 2017 article: the "championing of black musicians as part of a narrative that saw many positives in growing young white interest in African American-based musical styles". At a press event in 1969, Presley introduced Fats Domino, and said, "that's

8184-422: The burgeoning television industry: "I call it smell-evision." Writer Hal Kanter recalled that Jolson's own idea of his television debut would be a corporate-sponsored, extra-length spectacular that would feature him as the only performer, and would be telecast without interruption. Even though he had several TV offers at the time, Jolson was apprehensive about how his larger than life performances would come across in

8308-409: The career of Sister Rosetta Tharpe and concluded with these comments: Tharpe "was a gospel singer at heart who became a celebrity by forging a new path musically ... Through her unforgettable voice and gospel swing crossover style, Tharpe influenced a generation of musicians including Aretha Franklin , Chuck Berry and countless others ... She was, and is, an unmatched artist." As the 1940s came to

8432-515: The central-east of the United States. In the following years, professional "jubilee" troops formed and toured. The first black musical-comedy troupe, Hyers Sisters Comic Opera Co., was organized in 1876. In the last half of the 19th century, barbershops often served as community centers, where men would gather. Barbershop quartets originated with African-American men socializing in barbershops; they would harmonize while waiting their turn, singing spirituals, folk songs and popular songs. This generated

8556-452: The company. According to film historian Krin Gabbard, The Jolson Story goes further than any of the earlier films in exploring the significance of blackface and the relationships that whites have developed with blacks in the area of music. To him, the film seems to imply an inclination of white performers, like Jolson, who are possessed with "the joy of life and enough sensitivity to appreciate

8680-468: The confidence to rhyme 'Mammy' with 'Uncle Sammy'", adding "Mammy songs, along with the vocation 'Mammy singer', were inventions of the Jewish Jazz Age." The film also gave a boost to the career of black singer and bandleader Cab Calloway , who performed a number of songs alongside Jolson. In his autobiography, Calloway writes about this episode: {{blockquote|I'd heard Al Jolson was doing a new film on

8804-637: The creation of several different types of banjos in the United States. In the 1830s, the Second Great Awakening led to a rise in Christian revivals, especially among African Americans. Drawing on traditional work songs , enslaved African Americans originated and performed a wide variety of spirituals and other Christian music . Some of these songs were coded messages of subversion against slaveholders, or signals to escape. For example, Harriet Tubman sang coded messages to her mother and other slaves in

8928-414: The end of the year, the circus had folded and Jolson was again out of work. In May 1903, the head producer of the burlesque show Dainty Duchess Burlesquers agreed to give Jolson a part in one show. He performed "Be My Baby Bumble Bee", and the producer agreed to keep him, but the show closed by the end of the year. He avoided financial troubles by forming a vaudeville partnership with his brother Hirsch,

9052-620: The family was reunited. Jolson's mother, Naomi, died at 37 in early 1895, and he was in a state of withdrawal for seven months. He spent time at the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys , a progressive reformatory/home for orphans run by the Xaverian Brothers in Baltimore. After being introduced to show business in 1895 by Al Reeves , Asa and Hirsch became fascinated by it, and by 1897 the brothers were singing for coins on local street corners, using

9176-402: The fiddle and violin. Due to the fact that white colonizers viewed indigenous African religious practices that included drumming and dancing as idolatrous, the enslaved individuals conducted their music-infused religious ceremonies in private. During the eighteenth century, the slaves' informal assemblies in praise houses and brush arbor meetings featured songs and chants such as the ring shout,

9300-734: The field to let them know she was escaping on the Underground Railroad. Tubman sang: "I'm sorry I'm going to leave you, farewell, oh farewell; But I'll meet you in the morning, farewell, oh farewell, I'll meet you in the morning, I'm bound for the promised land, On the other side of Jordan, Bound for the Promised Land." During the period after the Civil War, the spread of African-American music continued. The Fisk University Jubilee Singers first toured in 1871. Artists including Jack Delaney helped revolutionize post-war African-American music in

9424-430: The film was being run. "She pinned herself against a wall in the dark and watched the faces in the crowd. In that moment just before 'Toot, Toot, Tootsie,' she remembered, 'A miracle occurred. Moving pictures really came alive. To see the expressions on their faces, when Joley spoke to them ... you'd have thought they were listening to the voice of God.'" "Everybody was mad for the talkies," said movie star Gregory Peck in

9548-551: The film's end, the Warner brothers had shown an audience something they had never known, moved them in a way they hadn't expected. The tumultuous ovation at curtain proved that Jolson was not merely the right man for the part of Jackie Rabinowitz, alias Jack Robin; he was the right man for the entire transition from silent fantasy to talking realism. The audience, transformed into what one critic called, 'a milling, battling mob' stood, stamped, and cheered 'Jolson, Jolson, Jolson!'" Vitaphone

9672-541: The first recording by black musicians— Bert Williams and George Walker —highlighting music from Broadway productions. Theodore Drury played a pivotal role in nurturing black talent in opera, establishing the Drury Opera Company in 1900. Despite its short run until 1908, the company left an indelible mark as the pioneer in black participation within opera. Fast forward to 1911, where Scott Joplin's trailblazing ragtime-folk opera, Treemonisha , took center stage, adding

9796-406: The foundation for many musical developments in the years to come. As African-American musicians continued to shape the musical landscape, the 1940s witnessed the emergence of rhythm and blues (R&B) . R&B became a pivotal genre, blending elements of jazz, blues, and gospel , and it laid the groundwork for the evolution of rock and roll in the following decade. Most slaves arrived to

9920-479: The genre in virtually every study of any kind of African-American music from work songs , field or street calls, shouts, and spirituals to blues and jazz." The roots of American popular music are deeply intertwined with African-American contributions and innovation. The earliest jazz and blues recordings emerged in the 1910s, marking the beginning of a transformative era in music. These genres were heavily influenced by African musical traditions, and they served as

10044-453: The head of Columbia Pictures agreed. It was directed by Alfred E. Green , best remembered for the pre-Code Baby Face (1933), with musical numbers staged by Joseph H. Lewis . With Jolson providing almost all the vocals, and Columbia contract player Larry Parks playing Jolson, The Jolson Story (1946) became one of the biggest box-office hits of the year. In a tribute to Jolson, Larry Parks wrote, "Stepping into his shoes was, for me,

10168-520: The innovations of James Brown . In 1961, 11-year-old Stevland Hardaway Morris made his first record under Motown's Tamla label as Stevie Wonder . In 1964 the Civil Rights Act outlawed major forms of discrimination towards African Americans and women. As tensions began to diminish, more African-American musicians crossed over into the mainstream. Some artists who successfully crossed over were Aretha Franklin , James Brown , and Ella Fitzgerald in

10292-506: The late 1970s. Spoken-word artists such as The Watts Prophets , The Last Poets , Gil Scott-Heron and Melvin Van Peebles were some innovators of early hip-hop. Many youths in the Bronx used this medium to communicate the unfairness minorities faced at the time. DJs played records, typically funk, while MCs introduced tracks to the dancing audience. Over time, DJs began isolating and repeating

10416-473: The movie's length, including " April Showers " and " Avalon ". Reviewers wrote, "Mr Jolson's singing of Mammy , California, Here I Come and others is something for the memory book" and "Of the three co-stars this is Jolson's picture ... because it's a pretty good catalog in anybody's hit parade." The movie was released on DVD in October 2008. 20th Century Fox hired him to recreate a scene from The Jazz Singer in

10540-463: The movie, he persuaded the studio to let him appear in one musical sequence, " Swanee ", shot entirely in long shot, with Jolson in blackface singing and dancing onto the runway leading into the middle of the theater. In the wake of the film's success and his World War II tours, Jolson became a top singer among the American public once more. Decca signed Jolson and he recorded for Decca from 1945 until his death, making his last commercial recordings for

10664-409: The music. Arlen was the songwriter for many of the finest Cotton Club revues, but he had done some interpretations for The Singing Kid that I just couldn't go along with. He was trying to change my style and I was fighting it. Finally, Jolson stepped in and said to Arlen, 'Look, Cab knows what he wants to do; let him do it his way.' After that, Arlen left me alone. And talk about integration: Hell, when

10788-491: The musical Vera Violetta which opened on November 20, 1911, and like La Belle Paree it was a success. In the show, he again sang in blackface and became so popular that his weekly salary of $ 500 (based on his success in La Belle Paree ) was increased to $ 750. After Vera Violetta closed, Jolson starred in another musical, The Whirl of Society , propelling his career on Broadway to new heights. During his time at

10912-599: The musical accomplishments of blacks". To support his view he describes a significant part of the movie: While wandering around New Orleans before a show with Dockstader's Minstrels, he enters a small club where a group of black jazz musicians are performing. Jolson has a revelation, that the staid repertoire of the minstrel troupe can be transformed by actually playing black music in blackface. He tells Dockstader that he wants to sing what he has just experienced: 'I heard some music tonight, something they call jazz. Some fellows just make it up as they go along. They pick it up out of

11036-477: The names "Al" and "Harry". They often used the money to buy tickets to the National Theater . They spent most of their days working different jobs as a team. In the spring of 1902, Jolson accepted a job with Walter L. Main's circus. Although Main had hired him as an usher, Main was impressed by Jolson's singing voice and gave him a position as a singer during the circus's Indian Medicine Side Show segment. By

11160-662: The plantation fields. African-American spirituals ( Negro Spirituals ) were created in invisible churches and regular Black churches. The hymns, melody, and rhythms were similar to songs heard in West Africa. Enslaved and free blacks created their own words and tunes. Themes include the hardships of slavery and the hope of freedom. Spirituals from the era of slavery are called Slave Shout Songs. These shout songs are sung today by Gullah Geechee people and other African Americans in churches and praise houses. During slavery, these songs were coded messages that spoke of escape from slavery on

11284-407: The pop and jazz worlds, and Leontyne Price and Kathleen Battle in classical music. By the end of the decade, black people were part of the psychedelia and early heavy metal trends, particularly by way of the ubiquitous Beatles' influence and the electric guitar innovations of Jimi Hendrix . Hendrix was among the first guitarists to use audio feedback , fuzz, and other effects pedals such as

11408-662: The pop chart; in 1958, it was ninety-four per cent. The marginal market had become the main market, and the majors had got into the act." The 1950s marked a significant uptick in the allure of blues , captivating audiences both in the US and across the pond in the UK, reminiscent of early 20th-century styles. Alongside this blues resurgence, Doo-wop center stage, enchanting listeners with its unique blend of vocal group harmonies, playful nonsense syllables, minimal instrumentation, and straightforward lyrics. Doo-wop, often featuring solo artists with backing groups, emphasized lead singers who played

11532-454: The producer and star of Dockstader's Minstrels. Jolson accepted Dockstader's offer and became a blackface performer. According to Esquire magazine, " J.J. Shubert , impressed by Jolson's overpowering display of energy, booked him for La Belle Paree , a musical comedy that opened at the Winter Garden in 1911. Within a month Jolson was a star. From then until 1926, when he retired from

11656-449: The real King of Rock 'n' Roll" ... a huge influence on me when I started out". By the mid-1950s, many R&B songs were getting "covered" by white artists and the recordings got more airplay on the mainstream radio stations. For example, "Presley quickly covered "Tutti Frutti" ...So did Pat Boone", according to New Yorker . "In 1956, seventy-six per cent of top R.&.B. songs also made the pop chart; in 1957, eighty-seven per cent made

11780-406: The role to Jolson because he agreed to help finance the film. Harry Warner 's daughter, Doris, remembered the opening night, and said that when the picture started she was still crying over the loss of her beloved uncle Sam. He had been planning to be at the performance but died suddenly, at the age of 40, on the previous day. However, halfway through the 89-minute film, she began to be overtaken by

11904-456: The same name. The movie also became the first important role for future child star Sybil Jason in a scene directed by Busby Berkeley . Jason remembers that Berkeley worked on the film although he is not credited. His next movie—his first with Twentieth Century-Fox —was Rose of Washington Square (1939). It stars Jolson, Alice Faye and Tyrone Power , and included many of Jolson's best known songs, although several songs were cut to shorten

12028-505: The singing. They also changed the melodies and rhythms of psalms and hymns , by speeding up the tempo, adding repeated refrains and choruses, and replacing texts with new ones that often combined English and African words and phrases. Originally passed down orally, folk spirituals have been central in the lives of African Americans for more than three centuries, serving religious, cultural, social, political, and historical functions. Folk spirituals were spontaneously created and performed in

12152-571: The stage, he could boast an unbroken series of smash hits." On March 20, 1911, Jolson starred in his first musical revue at the Winter Garden Theater in New York City. La Belle Paree helped start his career as a singer. Opening night drew a large crowd, and he became popular with the audience by performing Stephen Foster songs in blackface. The show closed after 104 performances. After La Belle Paree , he accepted an offer to perform in

12276-507: 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 the younger Jolson, but with sung vocals dubbed by Jolson himself. The formula

12400-556: The story of an ambitious entertainer who insisted on going on with the show even as his small son lay dying. The film was even more popular than The Jazz Singer . " Sonny Boy ", from the film, was the first American record to sell one million copies. Jolson continued to make features for Warner Bros. similar in style to The Singing Fool . These included Say It with Songs (1929), Mammy (1930), and Big Boy (1930). A restored version of Mammy , with Jolson in Technicolor sequences,

12524-467: The streets and sidewalks at each theater Jolson visited. In Chicago, a few weeks later, he sang to 100,000 people at Soldier Field, and later that night appeared at the Oriental Theatre with George Jessel where 10,000 people had to be turned away. Jolson had been a popular guest star on radio since its earliest days, including on NBC's The Dodge Victory Hour (January 1928), singing from

12648-552: The time was the studio's highest-grossing movie. The award is rarely given to performers in musicals. Ironically, Cagney, who became known for his tough guy movie roles, also made a contribution to movie musicals, like the man who had discovered him. While Jolson is credited for appearing in the first movie musical, Cagney's Academy Award-winning movie was the first movie Ted Turner chose to colorize . When Jolson appeared on Steve Allen 's KNX Los Angeles radio show in 1949 to promote Jolson Sings Again , he offered his curt opinion of

12772-437: The top ten on the charts). Jolson joked about how his voice had deepened with age, saying "I got the clippetys all right, but I can't clop like I used to." In addition to his contribution to motion pictures as a performer, he is responsible for the discovery of two major stars of the golden age of Hollywood. He purchased the rights to a play he saw on Broadway and then sold the movie rights to Jack Warner (Warner Brothers which

12896-556: The unsuccessful Wonder Bar . Warner Bros. allowed him to make Hallelujah, I'm a Bum with United Artists in 1933. It was directed by Lewis Milestone and written by Ben Hecht . Hecht was also active in the promotion of civil rights : "Hecht film stories featuring black characters included Hallelujah, I'm a Bum , co-starring Edgar Connor as Jolson's sidekick, in a politically savvy rhymed dialogue over Richard Rodgers music." The New York Times reviewer wrote, "The picture, some persons may be glad to hear, has no Mammy song. It

13020-408: The use of timbre , pitch , volume and duration, and the incorporation of the body in making music. His findings include uses of call-and-response and the importance of interjections from the audience to express satisfaction or dissatisfaction. These heterogeneous sound ideals are also found in many other types of music. White people sometimes taught black slaves to play Western instruments such as

13144-430: The wings trembling and sweating". After being shoved onto the stage by his brother Harry, he performed, then received an ovation he would never forget: "For several minutes, the applause continued while Al stood and bowed after the first act." He refused to go back on stage for the second act, but the audience "stamped its feet and chanted 'Jolson, Jolson', until he came back out". He took 37 curtain calls that night and told

13268-432: The world during the 20th century. Analyzing African music through the lens of European musicology can leave out much of the cultural use of sound and methods of music making. Some methods of African music making are translated more clearly though the music itself, and not in written form. Blues and ragtime were developed during the late 19th century through the fusion of West African vocalizations, which employed

13392-607: Was William Grant Still 's Afro-American Symphony (1930) by the New York Philharmonic . Florence Beatrice Price 's Symphony in E minor was performed in 1933 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra . In 1934, William Dawson 's Negro Folk Symphony was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Billboard started making a separate list of hit records for African-American music in October 1942 with

13516-642: Was "arguably the single most important factor in defining the modern musical." With his dynamic style of singing, 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

13640-485: Was a Lithuanian-born 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

13764-592: Was considered lost in 1933, but was found in 1995 and restored by The Vitaphone Project . Warner Bros. picked George Jessel for the role, as he had starred in the Broadway play. When Sam Warner decided to make The Jazz Singer a musical with the Vitaphone, he knew that Jolson was the star he needed. He told Jessel that he would have to sing in the movie, and Jessel balked, allowing Warner to replace him with Jolson. Jessel never got over it, and often said that Warner gave

13888-612: Was doubled. In 1916, Robinson Crusoe, Jr. was the first musical in which he was the star. In 1918, his acting career was pushed further after he starred in the hit musical Sinbad . It became the most successful Broadway musical of 1918 and 1919. " Swanee " was added to the show and became composer George Gershwin 's first hit recording. Jolson added " My Mammy ". By 1920, he had become the biggest star on Broadway. His next play, Bombo , became so successful that it went beyond Broadway to performances nationwide. It led Lee Shubert to rename his theater Jolson's 59th Street Theatre . At

14012-501: Was first screened in 2002. Jolson's first Technicolor appearance was a cameo in the musical Showgirl in Hollywood (1930) from First National Pictures , a Warner Bros. subsidiary. However, these films gradually proved a cycle of diminishing returns due to their comparative sameness, the regal salary that Jolson demanded, and a shift in public taste away from vaudeville musicals as the 1930s began. Jolson returned to Broadway and starred in

14136-474: Was flatteringly unwilling to go home, and when the show proper was over, Jolson reappeared before the curtain and sang more songs, old and new." "I don't mind going on record as saying that he is one of the few instinctively funny men on our stage," wrote reviewer Charles Darnton in the New York Evening World . "Everything he touches turns to fun. To watch him is to marvel at his humorous vitality. He

14260-402: Was good showmanship to cast this film with lesser people, particularly Larry Parks as the mammy kid.... As for Jolson's voice, it has never been better. Thus the magic of science has produced a composite whole to eclipse the original at his most youthful best. Parks received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor . Although the 60-year-old Jolson was too old to play a younger version of himself in

14384-476: Was intended for musical renditions, and The Jazz Singer follows this principle, with only the musical sequences using live sound recording. The moviegoers were electrified when the silent actions were interrupted periodically for a song sequence with real singing and sound. Jolson's dynamic voice, physical mannerisms, and charisma held the audience spellbound. Costar May McAvoy , according to author A. Scott Berg, could not help sneaking into theaters day after day as

14508-402: Was often altered and diluted to be more palatable for white audiences, who would not have accepted black performers, leading to genres like swing music . By the turn of the 20th century African Americans were becoming part of classical music as well. Originally excluded from major symphony orchestras, black musicians could study in music conservatories that had been founded in the 1860s, such as

14632-515: Was on his own. He became a regular at the Globe and Wigwam Theater in San Francisco and was successful nationwide as a vaudeville singer. He took up residence in San Francisco, saying the earthquake -devastated people needed someone to cheer them up. In 1908, Jolson, needing money for himself and his new wife, Henrietta, returned to New York. In 1909, his singing caught the attention of Lew Dockstader ,

14756-407: Was one of a few radio stations dedicated to African-American music that started during this period. The British Invasion knocked many black artists off the US pop charts, although some, like Otis Redding , Wilson Pickett , Aretha Franklin and a number of Motown artists, continued to do well. Soul music, however, remained popular among black people through new forms such as funk , developed out of

14880-619: Was qualified as a rabbi and cantor , moved to New York City to secure a better future for his family. By 1894, Moses Yoelson could afford to pay the fare to bring Nechama and their four children to the U.S. By the time they arrived—as steerage passengers on the SS Umbria arriving at the Port of New York on April 9, 1894—he had found work as a cantor at Talmud Torah Congregation in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood of Washington, D.C., where

15004-691: 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

15128-515: Was succeeded by Carlton Alsop. The sponsor was Colgate-Palmolive-Peet . In the NBC version, the fictional Canova was a film actress who lived in California with her maid and had a weekly radio program. As in the previous version, Canova sang in the show, usually between acts. Besides Canova, characters and the actors who portrayed them are shown in the table below: George Neise was also heard regularly in

15252-544: Was the studio that had made The Jazz Singer ) with the stipulation that two of the original cast members reprise their roles in the movie. The play became the movie Penny Arcade , and the actors were Joan Blondell and James Cagney , who both went on to become contract players for the studio. The two were major ingredients in gangster movies, which were lucrative for the studio. Cagney won his Academy Award for his role in Warner Brothers' Yankee Doodle Dandy , which at

15376-553: Was voted the "Most Popular Male Vocalist" in 1948 by a poll in Variety . 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 of any importance 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

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