According to
Ray Faiola in his commentary on the DVD of
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), Emma Carus was the vaudeville performer responsible for making the song "Alexander's Ragtime Band" a huge hit for
Irving Berlin. Berlin had first introduced the song in 1911 at a Friars Club frolic where it was only politely received. It took the great singing verve of Emma Carus to make the song a big hit, and soon
Al Jolson was also singing it. By the end of 1911, the song was so popular that it sold over two million copies. By the end of 1912,
Irving Berlin had earned over $100,000 in royalties.