Previous Next

Al Jolson, 2016

Al Jolson was an American singer, film actor, and comedian. In the 1930s, Jolson was America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer.Being the first popular singer to create a spectaclefrom a single song, he became a rock star before the dawn of rock music. Jolson also enjoyed performing in blackface makeup, a theatrical convention since the mid-19th century. With his unique and dynamic style of singing black music, such as jazz and blues, he was later credited with single-handedly introducing African-American music to white audiences while at the same time mocking "white supremacy". The juxtapositioning of the light facial image on the black background depicts the controversy or integration of the black and white communities at that time in history.