In his book, which is an appreciation of the popular art, the author takes us on a fleeting excursion through the evolution of 'pop' - from ragtime to hot jazz and in to the swing era - a fascinating insight into the early Broadway Musical and the birth of the 'talkies'.The emergence of the Great American Song Book, and the influence of Al Jolson's career on popular singing, his relationship with the principal song writers, and how he inspired the great vocal stars who followed, including Ethel Waters, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra.