SINGER

Al Jolson

1886 - 1950

Photo of Al Jolson

Icon of person Al Jolson

Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, Yiddish: אַסאַ יואלסאָן; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, as well as the first openly Jewish man to become an entertainment star in the United States. He was known for his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach" towards performing, along with popularizing many of the songs he sang. According to music historian Larry Stempel, "No one had heard anything quite like it before on Broadway." Stephen Banfield wrote that Jolson's style was "arguably the single most important factor in defining the modern musical." Jolson has been referred to by modern critics as "the king of blackface performers". Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Al Jolson has received more than 4,244,068 page views. His biography is available in 38 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 37 in 2019). Al Jolson is the 699th most popular singer (down from 640th in 2019), the 82nd most popular biography from Lithuania (down from 78th in 2019) and the most popular Lithuanian Singer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 4.2M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 59.59

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 38

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.19

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 5.13

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among SINGERS

Among singers, Al Jolson ranks 699 out of 4,381. Before him are Jungkook, Ian Dury, Sumi Jo, Gohar Gasparyan, Magda Olivero, and Nelly Furtado. After him are Roza Eskenazi, Sertab Erener, Peret, Toše Proeski, Tracy Chapman, and Fud Leclerc.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1886, Al Jolson ranks 139. Before him are Mohammed Ben Aarafa, Max Vasmer, Rash Behari Bose, Delmira Agustini, Robert Hennet, and Arthur Jeffrey Dempster. After him are Edgar Rubin, Ty Cobb, Maithili Sharan Gupt, Chester Barnard, Kurt Hahn, and Saburō Kurusu. Among people deceased in 1950, Al Jolson ranks 85. Before him are Edgar Lee Masters, Kurt Schmitt, Yi Kwang-su, Nikolai Luzin, Juan Botasso, and Arthur Jeffrey Dempster. After him are Raymond Sommer, Gustaf John Ramstedt, Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, Edwin Sutherland, Santiago Casares Quiroga, and Ernst Wiechert.

Others Born in 1886

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Others Deceased in 1950

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In Lithuania

Among people born in Lithuania, Al Jolson ranks 82 out of 328. Before him are Aleksandras Stulginskis (1885), Maciej Sulkiewicz (1865), Daumantas of Pskov (1240), Varvara Stepanova (1894), Clara Rockmore (1911), and Tomas Venclova (1937). After him are Ieronim Uborevich (1896), Antanas Sniečkus (1903), Branislaw Tarashkyevich (1892), Bernard Berenson (1865), Ben Shahn (1898), and Andrius Kubilius (1956).

Others born in Lithuania

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Among SINGERS In Lithuania

Among singers born in Lithuania, Al Jolson ranks 1. After him are Lena Valaitis (1943), Violeta Urmana (1961), Andrius Mamontovas (1967), Asmik Grigorian (1981), Monika Linkytė (1992), Monika Liu (1988), Donny Montell (1987), Andrius Pojavis (1983), Vilija Matačiūnaitė (1986), Sasha Song (1983), and Vaidas Baumila (1987).

Lithuanian born Singers

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