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Al Jolson was one of the biggest showbiz stars of the first decades of the 20th century, his career spanning vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio and recording, and he legendarily recorded some of the most memorable songs of the era. During the early decades of his career, he performed regularly in blackface make-up, during the era when this was an acceptable and normal style of presentation, which lasted well into post-war years. As a result of his popularity, success and high profile, he had a huge number of hits, and this 91-track 4-CD collection consists entirely of all his career hits as listed in Joel Whitburn’s book “Pop Memories 1890-1954” and also in the early Billboard charts. Among those are the 22 records listed as No. 1s, which include “Sonny Boy”, “Swanee”, “Toot Toot Tootsie, Goodbye” “You Made Me Love You”, “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody”, “When The Red Robin”, “There’s A Rainbow Round My Shoulder”, “I’m Sitting On Top Of The World”, “California Here I Come”, and many more from Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley. He was a hugely influential and distinctive performer and this substantial collection, capturing the essence of his style and talent, is a fine showcase for his significant recorded legacy.
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