Hull - An Al Jolson impersonator was forced to go on stage with a white face because of politically correct council rules. But Mr Clive Baldwin's pale imitation of the legendary singer was brought to an end by the audience at Hull New Theatre, who stopped the show with demands that his face should be blacked up.
So he defied Hull council guidelines and daubed on the greasepaint before continuing with his rendition of Mammy - the song made famous by a "blacked-up" Jolson in the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, in 1927. After his appearance Hull-born Mr Baldwin (64), said: "I regard myself as the world's greatest minstrel with the living voice of Al Jolson. I need to black up because it's the epitome of expression for love of a people who had no voice until Al Jolson gave them one."