100 years ago: Al Jolson “Avalon” charted

Avalon Al Jolson with Charles Prince’s Orchestra

Writer(s): Vincent Rose, Buddy DeSylva, Al Jolson (see lyrics here) First Charted: November 27, 1920 Peak: 2 US, 11 GA, 12 SM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The title “Avalon” evokes thoughts of “the legendary island…where King Arthur’s sword Excalibur was forged” SM but is actually about a resort town on Catalina Island off the coast of California. JS It was a popular destination for Hollywood’s film community. JS Lyrically, the song tells the listener how the protagonist discovers his love beside the bay in Avalon, then sails away, leaving his love behind. Then he dreams about her and the desire to return to Avalon. Jolson is given songwriting credit, but likely had nothing to do with writing the song. However, by including him on songwriting royalties, it made it encouraged him to perform the song and make it popular. TY2 Buddy DeSylva’s name was not originally on the credits but was added later. It is possible that he had a role in writing the lyrics as he did with many songs supposedly composed by Jolson. JS Musically, Vincent Rose most likely deserves the credit JS although the melody of “Avalon” comes from the aria “E Lucevan le Stelle” from the opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini. TY2 Puccini’s publishers sued and were awarded $25,000 in damages as well all future royalties. TY2 Jolson integrated the song into the musical Sinbad, which had opened on Broadway in 1918. He re-recorded the song after the 1946 film biopic The Jolson Story. The song was also used in 1932’s You Said a Mouthful, 1942’s Cairo, 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946’s Margie, 1956’s The Benny Goodman Story, 1957’s The Helen Morgan Story, 1999’s Sweet and Low Down, and 2001’s The Cat’s Meow. The song has been recorded and/or performed by Chet Atkins, Cab Calloway, Nat “King” Cole, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Harry James, Red Nichols, and Art Hickman, who took the song to #11 in 1921. Resources: SM Sharon Mawer Charts (1900-1968) JS JazzStandards.com TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Page 116. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/28/2023.

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Music Maker Inductees (March 2020)

Originally posted 3/22/2020; last updated 5/21/2021. January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog! To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This fifth batch of music maker inductees celebrates the top 10 music makers who made their names primarily as producers and record executives.

Clive Davis (1932-) Inducted March 2020 as a “Top 10 Producer.”

Record producer and executive born 4/4/1932 in Brooklyn, NY. President of Columbia Records from 1967-72. Founder/president of Arista Records from the late 1970s to 2000. Founder of J Records. Chairman and CEO of RCA Music Group from 2003-08. Has produced albums for Air Supply, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny G, Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, Santana, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Luther Vandross, and Dionne Warwick. Read more.

Buddy DeSylva (1895-1950) Inducted March 2020 as a “Top 10 Producer.”

Songwriter, film producer, and record executive born George Gard DeSylva on 1/27/1895 in New York City, NY. Also known as B.G. DeSylva. Founded Capitol Records with Johnny Mercer. His songwriting credits included Al Jolson’s “April Showers” and “Sonny Boy,” both featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953. Read more.

Brian Eno (1948-) Inducted March 2020 as a “Top 10 Producer.”

Rock keyboardist and producer born Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno on 5/15/1948 in Woodridge, England. Was a member of Roxy Music (1972’s Roxy Music, 1973’s For Your Pleasure) and an ambient solo artist (1975’s Another Green World) before producing for acts including David Bowie (1995’s Outside), Coldplay (2008’s Viva La Vida, Devo (1978’s Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo), Talking Heads (1980’s Remain in Light), and U2 (1987’s The Joshua Tree 1991’s Achtung Baby). Read more.

Berry Gordy, Jr. (1929-) Inducted March 2020 as a “Top 10 Producer.”

Record executive, producer, and songwriter born 11/28/1929 in Detroit, Michigan. As the founder of Motown Records, he launched and/or signed the Four Tops (1966’s “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”), Marvin Gaye (1969’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”), the Jackson 5 (1970’s “I Want You Back”), Michael Jackson (1972’s “Ben”), Martha & the Vandellas (1964’s “Dancing in the Street”), the Miracles (1965’s “The Tracks of My Tears”), the Supremes (1965’s “Stop! In the Name of Love”), the Temptations (1964’s “My Girl”), and Stevie Wonder (1972’s “Superstition”). Read more.

Mutt Lange (1948-) Inducted March 2020 as a “Top 10 Producer.”

Rock and pop producer born Robert John Lange on 11/11/1948 in Mufulira, Northern Ireland. Has worked with AC/DC (1979’s Highway to Hell, 1980’s Back in Black), Bryan Adams (Waking Up the Neighbours), Def Leppard (1987’s Hysteria), Celine Dion (1999’s All the Way…A Decade of Song), Foreigner (1981’s 4), Lady Gaga (2011’s Born This Way), and Britney Spears (2000’s Oops!...I Did It Again). Also married and produced country star Shania Twain (1995’s The Woman in Me, 1997’s Come on Over, 2002’s Up!). Read more.

George Martin (1926-2016) Inducted March 2020 as a “Top 10 Producer.”

Pop/rock producer born 1/3/1926 in Highbury, London, England. Died 3/8/2016. Best known for working with the Beatles (from 1962’s Please Please Me through 1969’s Abbey Road), but also worked with America, Jeff Beck (1975’s Blow by Blow, Cheap Trick, Little River Band (1981’s Time Exposure, Paul McCartney (1982’s Tug of War, and Kenny Rogers, Read more.

Jimmy Miller (1942-1994) Inducted March 2020 as a “Top 10 Producer.”

Record producer born 3/23/1942 in Brooklyn, New York. Died 10/22/1994. Best known for working with the Rolling Stones on what is considered one of the best four-album runs in history with Beggars Banquet (1968), Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971), and Exile on Main Street (1972). He also worked with Ginger Baker (1970’s Air Force, Blind Faith (1969’s Blind Faith), Delaney & Bonnie & Friends (1969’s On Tour with Eric Clapton), Primal Scream (1991’s Screamadelica), Johnny Thunders, and Traffic (1967’s Mr. Fantasy, 1968’s Traffic). Read more.

Sam Phillips (1923-2003) Inducted March 2020 as a “Top 10 Producer.”

Producer born 1/5/1923 in Florence, AL. Died 7/30/2003. His Sun Records label launched the careers of Elvis Presley (1954’s “That’s All Right, Mama”), Johnny Cash (1955’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” 1956’s “I Walk the Line”), Jerry Lee Lewis (1957’s “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire”), Roy Orbison (1956’s “Ooby Dooby”), Howlin’ Wolf, and Carl Perkins (1956’s “Blue Suede Shoes”). He also produced “Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats (1951), which some consider the first rock and roll song. Read more.

Rick Rubin (1963-) Inducted March 2020 as a “Top 10 Producer.”

Record executive (Def Jam, American Recordings, Columbia) and producer born Frederick Jay Rubin on 3/10/1963 in Long Beach, NY. Best known for his work with heavy metal groups and rap artists. Did production work for AC/DC, Adele (2011’s 21, Audioslave, Beastie Boys (1986’s Licensed to Ill), Black Crowes, Sheryl Crow, Dixie Chicks (2006’s Taking the Long Way), Eminem, Jay-Z (2003’s The Black Album), Linkin Park, LL Cool J, Metallica, Tom Petty, Public Enemy (1988’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back), Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik), Run-D.M.C. (1986’s Raising Hell), Shakira, Ed Sheeran (2014’s Multiply), Slayer (1986’s Reign in Blood), System of a Down, Justin Timberlake (2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds), Kanye West. Revived the career of Johnny Cash in the 1990s (1994’s American Recordings). Read more.

Phil Spector (1939-2021) Inducted March 2020 as a “Top 10 Producer.”

Pop/rock producer born 12/26/1939 in Brooklyn, NY. Noted for developing the "Wall of Sound" approach to recording. During the ‘60s, he worked with the Crystals (“Da Doo Ron Ron,” “He’s a Rebel”), the Dixie Cups (“Chapel of Love”), Ben E. King (“Spanish Harlem”), the Ramones, the Righteous Brothers (“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Unchained Melody”), the Ronettes (“Be My Baby”), and Ike & Tina Turner (“River Deep, Mountain High”). He also produced the Beatles’ last album (1970’s Let It Be) and solo albums for John Lennon (1970’s Plastic Ono Band, 1971’s Imagine), and George Harrison (1970’s All Things Must Pass). Read more.

Buddy DeSylva: Top 25 Songs

First posted 12/8/2019.

Songwriter, film producer, and record executive born George Gard DeSylva 100 years ago today on 1/27/1895 in New York City, NY. Also known as B.G. DeSylva. Founded Capitol Records with Johnny Mercer. Died 7/11/1950. “April Showers” and “Sonny Boy” are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

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Top 25 Songs

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Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Many of these songs have been recorded multiple times. Only the highest-ranked version in Dave’s Music Database is included in this list. The recording artist is noted in parentheses. Songs which hit #1 on on the Billboard pop chart are noted.

DMDB Top 1%:

1. April Showers (Al Jolson with Charles Prince’s Orchestra, 1922)
2. Sonny Boy (Al Jolson, 1928)
3. California, Here I Come (Al Jolson with Isham Jones’ Orchestra, 1924) #1
4. If You Knew Susie Like I Know Susie (Eddie Cantor, 1925) #1
5. Somebody Loves Me (Paul Whiteman, 1924) #1
6. The Birth of the Blues (Paul Whiteman with Jack Fulton, Charles Gaylord, & Austin Young; 1926) #1
7. Look for the Silver Lining (Marion Harris, 1921) #1
8. Avalon (Al Jolson with Charles Prince’s Orchestra, 1920)
9. The Best Things in Life Are Free (George Olsen with Ray Bolger, 1927)

DMDB Top 5%:

10. Do It Again (Paul Whiteman, 1922) #1
11. I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise (Paul Whiteman, 1922) #1
12. Together (Paul Whiteman with Jack Fulton, 1928) #1
13. Alabamy Bound (Blossom Seeley, 1925)
14. Black Bottom (Johnny Hamp, 1926)
15. The Varsity Drag (George Olsen, 1927)
16. Button Up Your Overcoat (Helen Kane, 1929)
17. It All Depends on You (Paul Whiteman, 1927)
18. Rise ‘N Shine (Paul Whiteman with Ramona Davies, 1933)
19. A Kiss in the Dark (Amelita Galli-Curci, 1923)
20. Broken Hearted (Here Am I) (Paul Whiteman with Jack Fulton, Charles Gaylor, & Austin Young; 1927)
21. Yankee Doodle Blues (Billy Murray with Ed Smalle, 1922)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

22. Black and Blue (Frankie Laine with Carl Fischer’s Swingtet, 1947)
23. Should I Be Sweet? (1932)
24. Ou Ain’t Heard Nothing Yet (1919)
25. Alexander’s Got a Jazz Band Now (1917)

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Awards:

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50 years ago: Al Jolson goes to #1 with “Sonny Boy”

Sonny Boy Al Jolson

Writer(s): Ray Henderson, Buddy DeSylva, Lew Brown, Al Jolson (see lyrics here) First Charted: October 13, 1928 Peak: 112 US, 188 SM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 1.0 (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.10 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Jolson was rehearsing for The Singing Fool, his follow-up to the first sound picture, 1927’s The Jazz Singer, when he needed to replace a song. He phoned the writing team of Henderson, DeSylva, and Brown with his request and they had a song ready the next morning. It has been suggested that the song they wrote, “Sonny Boy,” was intended as a joke, TY1 but their “joke”ended up the biggest hit of 1928 CPM and the biggest hit of Jolson’s career. That was no small feat, considering it was his twenty-first of twenty three #1 songs. PM In 1928, Ruth Etting (#6) and Jan Garber (#14) also found chart success with the song. In 1929, Gene Austin took it to #12 and in 1941 the Andrews Sisters revived the song with their #22 version. PM Ruth Brown, Petula Clark, John MacCormack, Mandy Patinkin, and Paul Robeson also recorded the song. WK “Sonny Boy” was an intergral part of P.G. Wodehouse’s short story “Jeeves and the Song of Songs,” which was dramatized on the British TV series Jeeves and Wooster (“Tuppy and the Terrier,” season 1, episode 2). Singer Eddie Fisher, who was born the year of the song’s release, was called “Sonny Boy” by his family. He shared in his autobiography that even after he’d gained fame in marrying Elizabeth Taylor, making $40,000 a week in Las Vegas, and hanging out with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Rocky Marciano, the nickname stuck. WK Resources: TY1 Don Tyler (1985). Hit Parade 1920-1955. Quill: New York, NY. Page 45. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 233 and 583. CPM Joel Whitburn (1999). A Century of Pop Music. Record Research, Inc.: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 43. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/20/2016; last updated 2/27/2023.

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50 years ago: Al Jolson hit #1 with “California, Here I Come”

California, Here I Come Al Jolson with Isham Jones’ Orchestra

Writer(s): Joseph Meyer, Buddy DeSylva, Al Jolson (see lyrics here) First Charted: April 1, 1924 Peak: 16 US, 14 GA, 16 SM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 1.0 (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.55 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Born Asa Yoelson in Russia in 1886, Al Jolson became “one of the greatest popular entertainers in American history.” PM He became a successful minstrel singer, vaudevillian performer, and Broadway star thanks to “his dramatic vocal style, extraordinary stage presence, and personal rapport with audiences.” PM His show Bombo opened in 1921 but three years later he was still tweaking by adding “California Here I Come.” TY2 By that time the show had left New York City on tour. Jolson was listed as a songwriter, but likely had nothing to do with the actual writing. He negotiated with the pubisher to have his name and picture added to the sheet music for $5000. This allowed him to get royalties from the song. TY2 Lyricist Buddy DeSylva (who also played ukulele on the song) and composer Joseph Meyer went along since having Jolson’s name attached to the song “practically guaranteed its success.” TY2 It was Jolson’s sixteenth of 23 chart-topping songs. PM He recorded the song with the Isham Jones’ Orchestra. It is frequently called California’s unofficial state song. WK Georgie Price (#7, 1924), the California Ramblers (#10, 1924, and Claude Hopkins (#17, 1933) also charted with the song. PM Freddy Cannon, Ray Charles, Cliff Edwards, Fletcher Henderson, and Tom Waits have all recorded the song. WK Jolson revived the song in 1939 in the film Rose of Washington Square, in The Jolson Story in 146, and Jolson Sings Again in 1949. DJ It was also used in the films Lucky Boy (1929), the W.C. Fields movie It’s a Gift (1934), John Wayne’s film Back to Bataan (1945), With a Song in My Heart (1952), and The Saddest Music in the World (2003). Resources: DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 31. SM Sharon Mawer Charts (1900-1968) TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Page 131. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 233-5 and 482. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 4/25/2023.