Al Jolson recorded a dozen songs on but one label during the month of September. Enjoy this eclectic collection of Jolson Gems.
The Columbia Recordings
19 Sep 1914: Back To The Carolina You Love - This Jean Schwartz and Grant Clark song of Southern longing must have hit a responsive chord, because it reached number 2 on the Billboard charts for three of the eight weeks it was listed. This song was also released, in a truncated form without being credited to Al Jolson, on the Little Wonder label, as their No. 20 release.
19 Sep 1914: Revival Day - An early Irving Berlin song captures the Jolson spirit as few others of the day can do. Can you picture Jolson wandering the stage, revving up the audience with it?
19 Sep 1916: Someone Else May Be There While I'm Gone - Here's a great Irving Berlin number done as only Jolie could do it. Although he re-recorded it on a Decca in 1947, this number captures that essence of Jolson. It was a hit with the public, as well, holding the second slot on the Billboard charts one of the four weeks it was there.
19 Sep 1916: I'm Down In Honolulu Looking Them Over - Written by Irving Berlin, this is said to be one of the rarest of Jolson recordings, with only a few known original copies. Or is that a legend? I only wish I owned a copy of this one!
19 Sep 1916: Don't Write Me Letters - Here's another one of those pining numbers that only a voice like Jolson's could ever do justice to. Who could resist?
10 Sep 1918: Tell That To The Marines - Jolson claimed authorship credit on this World War I number, introduced in the show Sinbad, and typical of the patriotic songs of the era. The public loved it, and it reached the top position on the Billboard charts, holding on for three of the eight weeks it was listed.
10 Sep 1918: I Wonder Why She Kept On Saying "Si-Si-Si-Si Señor"? - With lyrics by Sam Lewis and Joe Young, the same folks who wrote Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody, recorded earlier that year, and many other Jolson songs, this is a rarely heard Jolson ditty. Along with Rock-A-Bye, it was also introduced in Sinbad.
14 Sep 1919: I've Got My Captain Working For Me Now - A song that came out in the wake of the Great War, this song was covered by many entertainers of the day, including Eddie Cantor. Jolson's recording of the Irving Berlin song was number 1 on the Billboard charts for two of the seven weeks it was listed.
21 Sep 1919: You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet - Al Jolson put his name with Gus Kahn and Buddy DeSylva to this song based on his signature line. Eddie Cantor recorded this one, too! Jolson's was on the Billboard charts for five weeks, reaching the number 3 position.
21 Sep 1919: I Gave Her That - This catchy song with saucy lyrics and a twist ending was written by Jolson and Buddy DeSylva, and introduced in the hit show Sinbad, along with many songs destined to become Jolson standards. If you've never heard this number, listen closely to the lyrics; if you have, remember that this song reflected a different era of male-female relationships! The song was quite popular, climbing to the number 6 position on the Billboard charts, being listed for two weeks.
09 Sep 1922: Toot, Toot, Tootsie - "Tootsie" is many folks' favorite Jolson song. Originally introduced in the show Bombo, this number was the first to get toes tapping in The Jazz Singer, and became a perienniel favorite whenever Al Jolson performed. In this original recording, he sang both verses, a performance never again set down for posterity. Enjoy them in this classic recording, which held the number one spot on the Billboard charts for four of the ten weeks it was listed.
07 Sep 1923: You've Simply Got Me Cuckoo - Now, let's not confuse this song with "Coo Coo," a song from the previous year by different authors. This is just another nutty novelty number that Al Jolson popularized. How popular? This recording made the charts, reaching number seven during it's two week run. Not bad for a novelty number!
Alternate Takes
Al Jolson always said that he never sang a song the same way twice. Enjoy these alternate takes of a few of this month's recordings.
10 Sep 1918: Tell That To The Marines - This was the second take of this song, and was apparently released in a limited fashion although marked "Rejected." It has a different pace than the circulated version of the piece. Just to place Jolson during this time, the show Sinbad was playing at the Century Theatre in New York, where it ran from 2 September until 12 October 1918, before moving to the Casino Theatre in New York for another three week run.
21 Sep 1919: You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet - Al Jolson traveled back to New York to record this song, this is the first take of the session, while on a road trip of Sinbad at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre in Philadelphia, which ran from 11 September to 8 November 1919.
21 Sep 1919: I Gave Her That - A different feeling seems to come through in this second take of a spiffy Jolson number, recorded during the run of Sinbad.
Unless otherwise noted, transcriptions on this page are from original 78 RPM discs in the personal collection of the webmaster.
