Over the past few years, the success of young vocalists like Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr. and Diana Krall have demonstrated that the era of the classic American songbook is far from over. Each of these artists draws on the styles and approaches of the great singers of the twentieth century, whose recordings continue to set the standard for classic popular singing. This course is all about those great interpreters of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting tradition. Al Jolson is widely considered the first 'modern' pop singer, though his many contributions have been overshadowed by his controversial connections to the American minstrelsy tradition; Louis Armstrong is equally known as an innovative jazz trumpeter, but his singing brought the freedom of jazz to popular singing for all time; Bing Crosby straddled the line between jazz and pop, and his relaxed style changed popular singing; Judy Garland's singing alternated between tenderness and bravura and raised the bar for stage singers; Frank Sinatra would be the last word in pre-rock singing, bringing the popular singing style to its highest expression; and Ella Fitzgerald internalized modern jazz as no other singer had, bringing the singer's art to a brilliant peak. Each of the hour-long lectures is packed with video clips, recorded music, photographs, and Dr. Mike Daley's usual careful research and fresh insight.