Sonny Goldberg Way
A plaque at 445 King Street marks an earlier generation’s nostalgia for the folksy Lowcountry-accented commercials of Samuel Irwin “Sonny” Goldberg (1922–1997). Dubbed the King Street Singer, Goldberg, one of many Jewish merchants along upper King, was born on nearby Radcliffe Street and got his nickname for mimicking Al Jolson’s song “Sonny Boy.” For decades, he was on the local airwaves, starting his spiel with the line, “They call me the old King Street Singer because I sing whenever I’m blue.” After extolling the merchandise and sales at his store, opened by his father in 1934, he would always note it was closed on Saturday for “Sabbath observance” and then caution customers to “Drive carefully, we want you to get here.” The store closed in the mid-1990s, but not before a 1980s rap version of his song took to the air. The plaque was dedicated by Mayor Joseph P. Riley on April 16, 2008, with family and friends attending.
Plaque honoring Sonny Goldberg
Photo by Harlan Greene, 2020.
Ad for Sonny Goldberg’s Furniture Center stenciled on souvenir apron
