Al Jolson (May 26, 1886–October 23, 1950) was a highly acclaimed American singer, comedian and actor of Jewish heritage whose career lasted from 1911 until his death in 1950. He was one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century whose influence extended to other popular performers, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Mandy Patinkin, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis, Jr., Eddie Fisher, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Michael Jackson, Rufus Wainwright, David Lee Roth and Rod Stewart.
Al Jolson was the first popular singer to make a spectacular "event" out of singing a song. Prior to Jolson, popular singers such as John McCormack and Henry Burr would stand still, with only very minimal gesturing as they performed. In contrast, Jolson displayed tremendous energy using dynamic gestures and other movement. Jolson was the first entertainer to have a runway extending out from the center of the stage, so he could be closer to the audience. It was very common for Jolson to sit on the end of the runway and have personal one-on-one conversations with audience members, which had also never been done before.
Jolson was known to stop major Broadway productions in which he was performing, turn to the audience and ask them if they would rather hear him sing instead of watching the rest of the play. The answer was always a resounding yes, and Jolson would spend at least the next hour singing an impromptu concert. His friend George Burns said, "...Jolson was all show business!"
