Remembering Al Jolson in Oceanside

Al Jolson, the “World’s Greatest Entertainer,” may be long gone, but he lives on through his devoted fans. They’ll gather this month at the annual festival devoted to his music – and memories – in Oceanside on Aug. 18.
This year’s festival marks the 62nd anniversary of the International Al Jolson Society, which hosts the event.
“It’s such a tribute to his talent that 62 years after he’s gone, his music can still fill a room,” said long-time International Al Jolson Society President Jan Hernstat. “At the end of his life Jolson said that ‘when I die, nobody will remember me.’ Here we are 62 years later and we have members worldwide who keep his memories and music alive. The society continues to strive to bring in new members so that we can continue to promote the talents of this man who is truly the world’s greatest entertainer.”
While many people may still think of Jolson as that blackface singer of another era, those who are devoted to his music know him to have been a versatile, dynamic man of many talents.
“Jolson was a pioneer in both music and on Broadway,” Hernstat said. “In order to understand the evolution of music over the years, you can start with Jolson. His music was the beginning of American music as we know it. He was basically the first superstar, long before there was all the media access that we have today.. He had worldwide appeal at a time when all entertainers had was stage and movies, without the kind of instant access to information that we have today.” Hernstat explained.
“For a guy like Jolson to get as big as he was meant that he had to have had an amazing impact. He was the first person to really be an extrovert in the world of entertainment. His personality was able to shine through and when he would sing he was able to convey many emotions with a simple song. He took jazz and blues music and brought those forms to the legitimate stage. That music could be considered the beginnings of what we came to know years later as rock and roll.”