Jolson, Al

Al Jolson Singer and actor Asa Yoelson, St. Petersburg, Russia, March 26, 1886; San Francisco, California, October 25, 1950. Jolson’s father, Moses (Moishe), was a cantor, and came to the United States in April 1894, bringing his family afterward and settling in Washington, D.C; his mother died soon after. Asa and his older brother Hirsch sang on street corners for tips beginning when Asa was ten years old. They soon took the “stage names” of Al and Harry. Jolson started his career as a singer…