Al Jolson

Biography

Al Jolson was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian known for his brash and extroverted performing style, which popularized many songs that benefited from his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach". He was America's most famous entertainer in the 1930s, starring in successful musical films like The Jazz Singer and later receiving an Oscar nomination. Jolson fought against anti-black discrimination on Broadway and introduced African-American music to white audiences with his unique style of singing black music.