"April Flowers" - Al Jolson ( Live 1949)

It's raining in North Carolina. We always need it, and so we're glad when it comes. April is the time for it anyway. When I was a kid, my Uncle Irving used to sing Al Jolson songs to himself. He had a terrible voice, and never knew the words, so he kind of mumbled along to the melody. That was my introduction to Al Jolson, who was arguably one of the major entertainers of the first half of the 20th Century.

So I thought I'd celebrate today's rainy weather with his iconic (I like that word) version of "April Showers", performed live at Chicago's Soldier's Field in 1949. Here are the lyrics written by B. G. De Sylva. The music was written by his partner Louis Silvers and first published in 1921. It became one of Al Jolson's signature songs for decades to come. And Uncle Irving used to hum it under it his breath every April when it rained. That still goes for me, too.

April Showers

Though April showers may come your way,
They bring the flowers that bloom in May.
So if it's raining, have no regrets,
Because it isn't raining rain, you know, it's raining violets.

And where you see clouds upon the hills,
You soon will see crowds of daffodils,
So keep on looking for a blue bird, And listening for his song,
Whenever April showers come along.

And where you see clouds upon the hills,
You soon will see crowds of daffodils,
So keep on looking for a blue bird, And listening for his song,
Whenever April showers come along.