jopagi
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2007
- Posts
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I'll put in a plug for Al Jolson.
Here's a summary taken from Wikipedia (See the article for numerous references to back it up)
Aside from being immensely popular for 40 years (1911-1950), the first openly Jewish man to become an entertainment star in America, someone commonly dubbed "the world's greatest entertainer", someone credited as influential to a wide range of performers such as Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, and Bob Dylan, he has also been credited with single-handedly (!) introducing African-American music to white audiences.
In addition, his notable support of racial equality helped pave the way for many black performers, playwrights, and songwriters, including Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters.
Those are some pretty strong credentials in my opinion, although granted his influence was probably more U.S.-centric than worldwide.
Here's a summary taken from Wikipedia (See the article for numerous references to back it up)
Aside from being immensely popular for 40 years (1911-1950), the first openly Jewish man to become an entertainment star in America, someone commonly dubbed "the world's greatest entertainer", someone credited as influential to a wide range of performers such as Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, and Bob Dylan, he has also been credited with single-handedly (!) introducing African-American music to white audiences.
In addition, his notable support of racial equality helped pave the way for many black performers, playwrights, and songwriters, including Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters.
Those are some pretty strong credentials in my opinion, although granted his influence was probably more U.S.-centric than worldwide.