Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby at the Academy Awards in 1945 won the Best Actor Oscar for Going My Way. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to recognize "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Going My Way, a 1944 Academy Award winning film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby. Also shown is Ingrid Bergman with the Best Actress Oscar for Gaslight. (ˈbærjman in Swedish but usually ˈbɝgmən in English (August 29 1915 &ndash August 29 1982 was a Swedish three-time Academy Award -winning and two-time Emmy Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to This article is about the 1944 film Gaslight For the 1940 release see Gaslight. The image above is proposed for deletion. See images and media for deletion to help reach a consensus on what to do.
Background information
Birth name	Harry Lillis Crosby
Born	May 3, 1903(1903-05-03) Tacoma, Washington, USA
Died	October 14, 1977 (aged 74) Madrid, Spain
Genre(s)	Jazz, Pop standards, Dixieland
Occupation(s)	Singer, Actor
Instrument(s)	Vocalist
Years active	1926–1977
Label(s)	Brunswick, Decca, Reprise, RCA Victor, Verve, United Artists
Associated acts	Dixie Lee
Website	http://www.bingcrosby.com

Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American popular singer and Academy Award-winning actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Traditional pop or Classic pop or Standards music denotes in general Western (and particularly American popular music that either wholly predates the advent of Dixieland or Dixie is a name for the southeastern portion of the USA; see Southern United States, Dixie. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Brunswick Records is a United States based Record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Reprise Records is an American Record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra, which is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986 Verve Records is an American Jazz Record label now owned by the Universal Music Group. This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. For the franchised restaurant chain see Dixie Lee Fried Chicken. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works

One of the first multimedia stars, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby held a nearly unrivaled command of record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses. ^[1] He is cited among the most popular musical acts in history and is currently the most electronically recorded human voice in history. ^[2] Crosby is also credited as being the major inspiration for most of the male singers of the era that followed him, including Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Dean Martin. Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como ( May 18 1912 &ndash May 12 2001) was an Italian-American singer and television personality Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7 1917 &ndash December 25 1995 was an American Singer, Film Actor, television personality Yank magazine recognized Crosby as the person who had done the most for American G.I. morale during World War II and, during his peak years, around 1948, polls declared him the "most admired man alive," ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII. Yank the Army Weekly was a weekly magazine published by the United States military during World War II. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For other uses of GI see GI GI or GI is a term describing members of the U World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31 1919 – October 24 1972 was a Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Pope ^[1][3] Also during 1948, the Music Digest estimated that Crosby recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music. ^[3] Clarinetist Artie Shaw described Crosby as "the first hip white person born in the United States. Arthur Jacob Arshawsky ( May 23, 1910 &ndash December 30, 2004) better known as Artie Shaw, was an American Jazz Hip is a Slang term meaning fashionably current and in the know. "^[4]

Crosby exerted an important influence on the development of the postwar recording industry. In 1947, he invested US$50,000 in the Ampex company, which developed the world's first commercial reel-to-reel tape recorder, and Crosby became the first performer to pre-record his radio shows and master his commercial recordings on magnetic tape. Ampex ( is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a Reel, rather than being He gave one of the first Ampex Model 200 recorders to his friend, musician Les Paul, which led directly to Paul's invention of multitrack recording. Les Paul (born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9 1915) is an American Jazz guitarist and Inventor. Multitrack recording ('multitracking' or just 'tracking' for short is a method of Sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create Along with Frank Sinatra, he was one of the principal backers behind the famous United Western Recorders studio complex in Los Angeles. Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor United Western Recorders was a renowned recording studio complex in Hollywood, California, which became one of the most successful independent recording studios in

In 1962, Crosby was the first person to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding

Early life

Harry Lillis Crosby was born in Tacoma, Washington, on May 3, 1903, in a house his father built (1112 North J Street). Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting ^[5] His family moved to Spokane, Washington in 1906 to find work. Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting

He was the fourth of seven children: five boys, Larry (1895–1975), Everett (1896–1966), Ted (1900–1973), Harry 'Bing' (1903–1977), and Bob (1913–1993); and two girls, Catherine (1905–1988) and Mary Rose (1907–1990). Larry Crosby ( 1895 - 7 February 1975) was the long-time publicity director of the singer Bing Crosby. Bob Crosby ( August 23, 1913 Spokane Washington &ndash March 9, 1993 La Jolla California) was an American His parents were English-American Harry Lincoln Crosby (1870–1950), a bookkeeper, and Irish-American Catherine Helen (affectionately known as Kate) Harrigan (1873–1964), a daughter of a builder from County Mayo in Ireland. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Irish Americans (Gael-Mheiriceánach are citizens of the United States who can claim ancestry originating in Ireland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world His paternal ancestors, Thomas Prence and Patience Brewster, were born in England and immigrated to the U.S. in the 17th century; Brewster's family came over on the Mayflower. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Mayflower was the famous Ship that transported the English Separatists better known as the Pilgrims, from Southampton, England

In 1910, Crosby was forever renamed. Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The six-year-old Harry Lillis discovered a full-page feature in the Sunday edition of the Spokesman-Review, "The Bingville Bugle. The Spokesman-Review is a daily Newspaper based in Spokane Washington, and is the city's only daily publication " The "Bugle," written by humorist Newton Newkirk, was a parody of a hillbilly newsletter complete with gossipy tidbits, minstrel quips, creative spelling, and mock ads. A neighbor, 15-year-old Valentine Hobart, shared Crosby's enthusiasm for "The Bugle," and noting Crosby's laugh, took a liking to him and called him "Bingo from Bingville. " The last vowel was dropped and the name shortened to "Bing," which stuck.

In 1917, Crosby took a summer job as property boy at Spokane's "Auditorium," where he witnessed some of the finest acts of the day, including Al Jolson, who held Crosby spellbound with his ad-libbing and spoofs of Hawaiian songs. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Al Jolson (May 26 1886 October 23 1950 born in Lithuania, Russian Empire, was a highly acclaimed American singer comedian and actor and the first openly Crosby would later say, "To me, he was the greatest entertainer who ever lived. "

In the fall of 1920, Bing enrolled in the Jesuit-run Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, with the intention of becoming a lawyer. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order Gonzaga University is a private Catholic Jesuit university located in Spokane, Washington. He maintained a B+ average. Bing was a prankster. School lore says he once pushed a piano off the top of a dormitory, a story that is apocryphal, since he left school the year before the dormitory was built.

While at Gonzaga, he sent away for a set of mail-order drums. After much practice, he soon became good enough and was invited to join a local band made up of mostly local high school kids called the "Musicaladers," managed by Al Rinker. Al Rinker ( December 20, 1907 &ndash June 11, 1982) began performing as a partner with Bing Crosby in 1925 and the two singers formed He made so much money doing this that he decided to drop out of school during his final year to pursue a career in show business.

Popular success

Music

In 1926, while singing at Los Angeles Metropolitan Theatre, Crosby and his vocal duo partner Al Rinker caught the eye of Paul Whiteman, arguably the most famous bandleader at the time. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Paul Whiteman ( March 28, 1890 &ndash December 29, 1967) was an American orchestral Hired for $150 a week, they made their debut on December 6, 1926 at the Tivoli Theatre (Chicago). Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Tivoli Theatre was a movie palace in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Their first recording, "I've Got The Girl," with Don Clark's Orchestra, was issued by Columbia and did them no vocal favors, as it sounded like they were singing in a key much too high for them. It was later revealed that the 78rpm was recorded at a speed slower than it should have been, which increased the pitch when played at 78rpm.

As popular as the Crosby and Rinker duo was, Whiteman added another member to the group, pianist and aspiring songwriter Harry Barris. Harry Barris ( November 24, 1905 – December 13, 1962) was an American popular singer Whiteman dubbed them The Rhythm Boys, and they joined the Whiteman vocal team, working and recording with musicians Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, and Eddie Lang and singers Mildred Bailey and Hoagy Carmichael. The Rhythm Boys were a male singing trio consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. Leon Bix Beiderbecke ( March 10, 1903 &ndash August 6, 1931) was an American Jazz Cornetist and composer as well Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden ( August 20, 1905 &ndash January 15, 1964) was an influential Jazz Trombonist and Tommy Dorsey ( November 19 1905 &ndash November 26 1956) was an American Jazz Trombonist, Trumpeter James "Jimmy" Dorsey ( February 29, 1904 &ndash June 12, 1957) was a prominent American Jazz Clarinetist Eddie Lang ( October 25, 1902 &ndash March 26, 1933) was an American Jazz Guitarist, considered by many to be the finest Mildred Bailey ( February 27 1907 &ndash December 12 1951) was a popular American Jazz Singer during the 1930s Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22 1899 – December 27 1981 was an American Composer, Pianist, singer actor and bandleader

Crosby soon became the star attraction of the Rhythm Boys, not to mention Whiteman's band, and in 1928 had his first number one hit, a jazz-influenced rendition of "Ol' Man River. The Rhythm Boys were a male singing trio consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. " Ol' Man River " (music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) is a song in the 1927 musical Show Boat, that tells " However, his repeated youthful peccadilloes and growing dissatisfaction with Whiteman forced him, along with the Rhythm Boys, to leave the band and join the Gus Arnheim Orchestra. The Rhythm Boys were a male singing trio consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. Gus Arnheim ( September 4, 1897 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania – January 1955 in Los Angeles California) was an early popular band leader After signing with Brunswick Records and recording under Jack Kapp, the Rhythm Boys were increasingly pushed to the background as the vocal emphasis focused on Bing. Brunswick Records is a United States based Record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment. Jack Kapp was a record company executive with Brunswick Records who founded Decca Records in 1934 The Rhythm Boys were a male singing trio consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. Fellow member of The Rhythm Boys Harry Barris wrote several of Crosby’s subsequent hits including "At Your Command," "I Surrender, Dear," and "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams"; however, shortly after this, the members of the band had a falling out and split, setting the stage for Crosby's solo career. The Rhythm Boys were a male singing trio consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. Harry Barris ( November 24, 1905 – December 13, 1962) was an American popular singer " Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams " is a popular Song written by Harry Barris with lyrics by Ted Koehler and Billy Moll, published

As the 1930s unfolded, it became clear that Bing was the number one man, vocally speaking. Ten of the top 50 songs for 1931 either featured Bing solo or with others. Apart from the short-lived "Battle of the Baritones" with Russ Columbo, "Bing Was King," signing long-term deals with Jack Kapp's new record company Decca and starring in his first full-length features, 1932's The Big Broadcast, the first of 55 such films in which he received top billing. Ruggiero Eugenio di Rodolpho Colombo ( January 14 1908 &ndash September 2 1934) better known as Russ Columbo, was an American Jack Kapp was a record company executive with Brunswick Records who founded Decca Records in 1934 Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. The Big Broadcast ( 1932) is a Paramount Pictures production starring Bing Crosby, George Burns, and Gracie Allen. He appeared in a total of 79 pictures.

Around this time, Bing made his solo debut on radio, co-starring with The Carl Fenton Orchestra on a popular CBS radio show and by 1936, replacing his former boss, Paul Whiteman, as the host of NBC's Kraft Music Hall, a weekly radio program where he would remain for the next ten years. Karl Fenton (1889-1980 born as Walter G Haenschen, was an American bandleader composer and radio musician CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Paul Whiteman ( March 28, 1890 &ndash December 29, 1967) was an American orchestral The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's

He was thus able to take popular singing beyond the kind of "belting" associated with a performer like Ali Schuette, who had to reach the back seats in New York theatres without the aid of the microphone. Belting (or vocal belting) refers to a specific technique of Singing by which a singer uses a high-intensity sound to convey heightened emotional states With Crosby, as Henry Pleasants noted in The Great American Popular Singers, something new had entered American music, something that might be called "singing in American," with conversational ease. Henry Pleasants (1910-2000 was an American music critic Born in Wayne Pennsylvania on May 12 1910 he studied voice piano and composition at the Curtis Institute of Music from The oddity of this new sound led to the epithet "crooner. "

Crosby gave great emphasis to live appearances before American troops fighting in the European Theater. The European Theater of Operations (ETO is the term used in the United States to refer to US operations north of Italy and He also learned how to pronounce German from written scripts and would read them in propaganda broadcasts intended for the German forces. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. The nickname "der Bingle" for him was understood to have become current among German listeners, and came to be used by his English-speaking fans. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States In a poll of U. S. troops at the close of WWII, Crosby topped the list as the person who did the most for G. I. morale, beating out President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, General Dwight Eisenhower, and Bob Hope. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in

Crosby's biggest musical hit was his recording of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," which he introduced through a 1942 Christmas-season radio broadcast and the movie Holiday Inn. Irving Berlin (11 May 1888 &ndash 22 September 1989 was a Russian-born American Composer and Lyricist, and one of the most prolific American songwriters " White Christmas " is an Irving Berlin song whose lyrics reminisce about White Christmases. Holiday Inn is a 1942 Film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, which featured the music of Irving Berlin. Bing's recording hit the charts on 3 October 1942, and rose to #1 on 31 October, where it stayed for 11 weeks. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse In the following years, Bing's recording hit the Top 30 pop charts another 16 times, even topping the charts again in 1945 and January 1947. The song remains Bing's best-selling recording, and the best-selling single and best-selling song of all time. In 1998, after a long absence, his 1947 version hit the charts in Britain, and as of 2006 remains the North American holiday-season standard. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. According to Guinness World Records, Bing Crosby's recording of "White Christmas" has "sold over 100 million copies around the world, with at least 50 million sales as singles. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U "^[6]

Motion pictures

According to ticket sales, Bing Crosby is, at 1,077,900,000 tickets sold, the third most popular actor of all-time behind Clark Gable and John Wayne. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. For the franchised restaurant chain see Dixie Lee Fried Chicken. Kathryn Grant may refer to Kathryn Crosby, American actress who also used the stage name Kathryn Grant Kathryn Ptacek, American author Clark Gable (February 1 &ndashNovember 16) was an iconic American Actor nicknamed "The King of Hollywood" in his heyday John Wayne ( May 26, 1907 &ndash June 11, 1979) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning American ^[7] Crosby is also, according to Quigley Publishing Company's International Motion Picture Almanac, tied for second on the "All Time Number One Stars List" with three other actors: Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, and Burt Reynolds. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks (born July 9 1956 is an two-time Academy award and Emmy winning American Film actor, director Burton Leon Reynolds Jr (born February 11 1936 is an American Actor. ^[8] Crosby's most popular film, White Christmas, grossed $30 million in 1954, which, when adjusted for inflation, equals $233 million in 2004 dollars. White Christmas is a 1954 Jukebox musical movie starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that featured the songs of Irving Berlin ^[9] Crosby also won an Academy Award as Best Actor for Going My Way in 1944 and was critically acclaimed for his performance as an alcoholic entertainer in The Country Girl. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Best Actor is the name of an award It is presented by various film organizations Film festivals and people's awards Going My Way, a 1944 Academy Award winning film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby. The Country Girl is a 1954 Drama film adapted by George Seaton from a Clifford Odets play of the same name which tells the story He also partnered with Bob Hope in seven popular Road to comedies between 1940 and 1962. Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in Road to refers to a series of seven comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour.

Bing Crosby (1942) with golf balls for the Scrap Rubber Drive during World War II

.

By the late 1950s, Crosby's popularity had peaked, and the adolescence of the baby boom generation began to affect record sales to younger customers. In 1960, Crosby starred in High Time, a collegiate comedy with Fabian and Tuesday Weld that foretold the emerging gap between older Crosby fans and a new generation of films and music. High Time is a 1960 collegiate comedic film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Bing Crosby.

Style

Bing Crosby perfected an idea that Al Jolson had hinted at, namely that the popular performer didn't have to limit himself to a mere series of shticks but could be a genuine artist — in this case, a musician. Al Jolson (May 26 1886 October 23 1950 born in Lithuania, Russian Empire, was a highly acclaimed American singer comedian and actor and the first openly A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a Before Crosby, art was art and pop was pop; opera singers worried about staying in tune and reaching the upper balcony, vaudevillians concerned themselves with their costumes and facial expressions. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s The term costume can refer to Wardrobe and dress in general or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people class or period A facial expression results from one or more motions or positions of the Muscles of the Face.

Crosby rendered the difference between the two irrelevant. Where earlier recording artists had displayed strictly one-dimensional attitudes, Crosby not only perfected the fully rounded persona, but brought with it the technical ability of a true concert artist. A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A persona, in the word's everyday usage is a social Role or a character played by an Actor. Crosby projected with a majestic sense of intonation that afforded Tin Pan Alley the musical stature of European classics and a jazz influenced time that made him both the dominant voice of both the Jazz age and the Swing era. Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City -centered music publishers and Songwriters who dominated the popular Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United

Crosby also elaborated on a further idea of Al Jolson's, one that Frank Sinatra would ultimately extend further: phrasing, or more specifically, the art of making a song's lyric ring true. Al Jolson (May 26 1886 October 23 1950 born in Lithuania, Russian Empire, was a highly acclaimed American singer comedian and actor and the first openly Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor Lyrics (in singular form Lyric) are a set of words that accompany music either by speaking or singing "I used to tell (Sinatra) over and over," said Tommy Dorsey, "there's only one singer you ought to listen to and his name is Crosby. Tommy Dorsey ( November 19 1905 &ndash November 26 1956) was an American Jazz Trombonist, Trumpeter All that matters to him is the words, and that's the only thing that ought to for you, too. A word is a unit of Language that carries meaning and consists of one or more Morphemes which are linked more or less tightly together and has a Phonetic "

The greatest trick of Crosby’s virtuosity was covering it up. It is often said that Crosby made his singing and acting "look easy," or as if it were no work at all: he simply was the character he portrayed, and his singing, being a direct extension of conversation, came just as naturally to him as talking, or even breathing. Journalist Donald Freeman said of Crosby, "There is only one Bing Crosby and — the time has come now to face the issue squarely — he happens to be that unique, awesome creature, an artist. A journalist (also called a newspaperman) is a person who practices Journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events trends "

Vocal characteristics

Bing Crosby is usually considered to be among the most talented singers of his time. Crosby could, as musicologist J. T. H. Mize's asserts, "melt a tone away, scoop it flat and sliding up to the eventual pitch as a glissando, sometimes sting a note right on the button, and take diphthongs for long musical rides. " J. T. H. Mize also inventoried the Crosby arsenal of vocal effects, including "interpolating pianissimo whistling variations, sometimes arpeggic, at other times trilling. " While vocal critic Henry Pleasants states that "the octave B flat to B flat in Bing's voice at that time [1930s] is, to my ears, one of the loveliest I have heard in forty-five years of listening to baritones, both classical and popular, it dropped conspicuously in later years. From the mid-1950s, Bing was more comfortable in a bass range while maintaining a baritone quality, with the best octave being G to G, or even F to F. In a recording he made of 'Dardanella' with Louis Armstrong in 1960, he attacks lightly and easily on a low E flat. This is lower than most opera basses care to venture, and they tend to sound as if they were in the cellar when they get there. " Mel Tormé concurred with Henry Pleasants stating that "(Crosby's) low notes could make your bass woofers beg for mercy. Melvin Howard Tormé ( September 13, 1925 &ndash June 5, 1999) nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician known as "

Career statistics

Bing Crosby's sales and chart statistics place him among the most popular and successful musical acts of the 20th century. Although the Billboard charts operated under a different methodology for the bulk of Crosby's career, his numbers remain astonishing: 1,700 recordings, 383 of those in the top 30, and of those, 41 hit #1. The Billboard charts are music sales airplay and digital ranking reports distributed to the general public by Billboard magazine Crosby had separate charting singles in every calendar year between 1931 and 1954; the annual re-release of White Christmas extended that streak to 1957. White Christmas is a 1954 Jukebox musical movie starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that featured the songs of Irving Berlin He had 24 separate popular singles in 1939 alone. Billboard's statistician Joel Whitburn determined Crosby to be America's most successful act of the 1930s, and again in the 1940s. Joel Carver Whitburn (born November 29, 1939 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin) is an American Author and music historian

For 15 years (1934, 1937, 1940, 1943-1954), Crosby was among the top 10 in box office draw, and for five of those years (1944-49) he was the largest in the world. He sang four Academy Award-winning songs — "Sweet Leilani" (1937), "White Christmas" (1942), "Swinging on a Star" (1944), "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" (1951) — and won an acting Oscar for Going My Way (1944). "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. " Swinging on a Star " is a Popular song. Origins Swinging on a Star was recorded in 1944 by singer Bing Crosby. Going My Way, a 1944 Academy Award winning film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby.

He also collected 23 gold and platinum records in his career, according to Joseph Murrells, author of the book, "Million Selling Records. " It should be noted that the Recording Industry Association of America did not institute its gold record certification program until 1958, by which point Crosby's record sales were barely a blip, so gold records prior to that year were awarded by an artist's record company. Universal Music, current owner of Crosby's Decca catalog, has never requested RIAA certification for any of his hit singles.

In 1962, Crosby became the first recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding He has been inducted into the respective halls of fame for both radio and popular music. His overall music sales are estimated at between 500,000,000 (five hundred million) to 900,000,000 (nine hundred million). Bing is a member of that exclusive club of the biggest record sellers that include Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and The Beatles. Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960

In 2007, Bing Crosby was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

Entrepreneurship

Mass media

Bing Crosby's desire to pre-record his radio shows, combined with a dissatisfaction with the available lacquer/aluminum recording disks, was a significant factor in the development of magnetic tape sound recording and the radio industry's adoption of it. Magnetic tape has been used for Sound recording for more than 75 years ^[10][11][12] He used his power to innovate new methods of reproducing audio of himself. In 1946, he wanted to shift from live performance to recorded transcriptions for his weekly radio show on NBC sponsored by Kraft. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's But NBC and competitor CBS refused to allow recorded radio programs (except for advertisements). CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light.

The live production of radio shows was a deeply-established tradition reinforced by the musicians' union and ASCAP. The American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers ( ASCAP) is a non-profit Performance rights organization that protects its The Mutual network, on the other hand, had pre-recorded some of its programs as early as the Summer 1938 run of The Shadow with Orson Welles. The Mutual Broadcasting System ( MBS) was an American Radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999 George Orson Welles (May 6 1915 – October 10 1985 was an Academy Award -winning director, writer actor and producer for film stage radio and television The new ABC network, formed out of the sale of the old NBC Blue network in 1943 to Edward Noble, the "Lifesaver King," was willing to join Mutual in breaking the tradition. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's It would pay Crosby $30,000 per week to produce a recorded show every Wednesday sponsored by Philco. Philco, the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company (formerly known as the Spencer Company and later the Helios Electric Company) was a pioneer in early battery He would also get $40,000 from 400 independent stations for the rights to broadcast the 60-minute show that was sent to them every Monday on three 16-inch lacquer/aluminum discs that played 10 minutes per side at 33⅓ rpm. An aluminum disc (or aluminum disk) is a disc (disk made out of Aluminum and is used as a Transcription disc in Magnetic recording media specifically

Crosby wanted to change to recorded production for several reasons. The legend that has been most often told is that it would give him more time for his golf game. And he did record his first Philco program in August 1947 so he could enter the Jasper National Park Invitational Golf Tournament in September when the new radio season was to start. Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning 10878 km² (4200 mi² But golf was not the most important reason.

Crosby was always an early riser and hard worker. He sought better quality through recording, not more spare time. He could eliminate mistakes and control the timing of performances. Because his own Bing Crosby Enterprises produced the show, he could purchase the latest and best sound equipment and arrange the microphones his way; mic placement had long been a hotly-debated issue in every recording studio since the beginning of the electrical era. No longer would he have to wear the hated toupee on his head previously required by CBS and NBC for his live audience shows (Bing preferred a hat). CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's He could also record short promotions for his latest investment, the world's first frozen orange juice to be sold under the brand name Minute Maid. Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with Lemonade or Orange juice, but now extends to Soft drinks of many kinds including

The transcription method had problems, however. The acetate surface coating of the aluminum discs was little better than the wax that Edison had used at the turn of the century, with the same limited dynamic range and frequency response.

In June 1947, Murdo MacKenzie of Bing Crosby Enterprises saw a demonstration of the German Magnetophon that Jack Mullin had brought back from Radio Frankfurt with 50 reels of tape at the end of the war. Murdo Mackenzie (born April 24, 1850 near Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland - died May 30, 1939 in Denver Colorado Magnetophon was the brand or model name of the pioneering Reel-to-reel tape recorder developed by engineers of the German electronics company AEG in the 1930s based John T "Jack" Mullin (1913&ndash1999 was an American pioneer in the field of Magnetic tape sound recording and made significant contributions to many This machine was one of the magnetic tape recorders that BASF and AEG had built in Germany starting in 1935. The ½-inch ferric-coated tape could record 20 minutes per reel of high-quality sound. Alexander M. Poniatoff ordered his Ampex company (founded in 1944 from his initials A. Ampex ( is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M M. P. plus the starting letters of "excellence") to manufacture an improved version of the Magnetophone.

Bing Crosby hired Mullin and his German machine to start recording his Philco show in August 1947 with the same 50 reels of Farben magnetic tape that Mullin had found at a radio station at Bad Nauheim near Frankfurt while working for the U. Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. S. Army Signal Corps. The crucial advantage was editing. As Bing wrote in his autobiography, "By using tape, I could do a thirty-five or forty-minute show, then edit it down to the twenty-six or twenty-seven minutes the program ran. In that way, we could take out jokes, gags, or situations that didn't play well and finish with only the prime meat of the show; the solid stuff that played big. We could also take out the songs that didn't sound good. It gave us a chance to first try a recording of the songs in the afternoon without an audience, then another one in front of a studio audience. We'd dub the one that came off best into the final transcription. It gave us a chance to ad lib as much as we wanted, knowing that excess ad libbing could be sliced from the final product. If I made a mistake in singing a song or in the script, I could have some fun with it, then retain any of the fun that sounded amusing. "

Mullin's 1976 memoir of these early days of experimental recording agrees with Bing's account: "In the evening, Crosby did the whole show before an audience. If he muffed a song then, the audience loved it — thought it was very funny — but we would have to take out the show version and put in one of the rehearsal takes. Sometimes, if Crosby was having fun with a song and not really working at it, we had to make it up out of two or three parts. This ad lib way of working is commonplace in the recording studios today, but it was all new to us. "

Crosby invested US$50,000 in Ampex to produce more machines. Ampex ( is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M In 1948, the second season of Philco shows was taped with the new Ampex Model 200 tape recorder (introduced in April) using the new Scotch 111 tape from the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) company. 3M Company ( formerly Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company until 2002 is an American multinational conglomerate corporation with a worldwide Mullin explained that new techniques were invented on the Crosby show with these machines: "One time Bob Burns, the hillbilly comic, was on the show, and he threw in a few of his folksy farm stories, which of course were not in Bill Morrow's script. Today they wouldn't seem very off-color, but things were different on radio then. They got enormous laughs, which just went on and on. We couldn't use the jokes, but Bill asked us to save the laughs. A couple of weeks later he had a show that wasn't very funny, and he insisted that we put in the salvaged laughs. Thus the laugh-track was born. " Crosby had launched the tape recorder revolution in America. In his 1950 film Mr. Music, Bing Crosby can be seen singing into one of the new Ampex tape recorders that reproduced his voice better than anything else. Also quick to adopt tape recording was his friend Bob Hope, who would make the famous "Road to..." films with Bing and Dorothy Lamour. Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in Road to refers to a series of seven comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. Dorothy Lamour ( December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American motion picture actress.

Mullin continued to work for Crosby to develop a videotape recorder. Videotape is a means of recording images and sound onto Magnetic tape as opposed to movie film. Television production was mostly live in its early years, but Crosby wanted the same ability to record that he had achieved in radio. The Fireside Theater, sponsored by Procter and Gamble, was his first television production for the 1950 season. Mullin had not yet succeeded with videotape, so Crosby filmed the series of 26-minute shows at the Hal Roach Studios. The "telefilms" were syndicated to individual television stations.

Crosby did not remain a television producer but continued to finance the development of videotape. Mullin would demonstrate a blurry picture on December 30, 1952, but he was not able to solve the problem of high tape speed. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It was the Ampex team led by Charles Ginsburg that made the first videotape recorder. Rather than speeding tape across fixed heads at 100 ips, Ginsburg used rotating heads to record at a slant on tape moving at only 15 ips. The quadruplex scan model VR-1000 was demonstrated at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Chicago on April 14, 1956, and was an immediate success. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ampex made $4 million in sales during the NAB convention. Ampex developed a color videotape system in 1958 and recorded the spirited debate (dubbed the "Kitchen Debate") between Khrushchev and Nixon on a demonstration model at the Moscow trade Fair September 25, 1959. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. By this time, Crosby had sold his videotape interests to the 3M company and no longer played the role of tape recorder pioneer. Yet his contribution had been crucial. He had opened the door to Mullin's machine in 1948 and financed the early years of the Ampex company. The rapid spread of the tape recorder revolution was in no small measure caused by Crosby's efforts.

The decade following the end of World War II witnessed what has been called the "revolution in sound. " The Decca Company introduced FFRR 78 rpm records (Full Frequency Range Recording) that had the finest frequency response (80-15,000 cps) of any recording process before magnetic tape recording. Decca's method of reducing the size of the groove and designing a delicate elliptical stylus to track on the sides of the groove would be the same innovation of the new microgroove process introduced by Columbia in 1948 on the new 33⅓ rpm LP vinyl record. Crosby's sponsor Philco would join Columbia in selling a new $29. 95 record player with jeweled stylus (not steel) tracking at only 10 grams (not 200) for these LPs. No longer would records wear out after 75 plays. Crosby's Ampex Company would be joined by Magnecord, Webcor, Revere, and Fairchild in selling one million tape recorders to a rapidly growing consumer audio component market by 1953. The 1949 Magnecord tape recorder had stereo capability eight years before any vinyl record had it. These components soon began to feature the transistor invented by Bell Labs in 1948. Crosby's 1942 film Holiday Inn (where he first sang his most famous song) would be remade in 1954 as White Christmas, the first film to use Paramount's new VistaVision wide-screen film process with multi-channel magnetic sound.

Thoroughbred horse racing

Bing Crosby was a fan of Thoroughbred horse racing and bought his first racehorse in 1935. Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide Sport and Industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred Horses It is governed by different national In 1937, he became a founding partner and member of the Board of Directors of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club that built and operated the Del Mar Racetrack at Del Mar, California. History and information When Del Mar opened in 1937 Bing Crosby was at the gate to personally greet the fans Del Mar is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. One of Crosby's closest friends was Lindsay Howard, for whom he named his son Lindsay and from whom he would purchase his 40-room Hillsborough estate in 1965. Lindsay Harry Crosby ( January 5, 1938 - December 11, 1989) was an American Actor and Singer. Hillsborough is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lindsay Howard was the son of millionaire businessman Charles S. Howard, who owned a successful racing stable that included Seabiscuit. Charles Stewart Howard ( February 28, 1877 - June 6, 1950) was an American businessman Seabiscuit ( May 23, 1933 &mdash May 17, 1947) was a champion Thoroughbred Race horse in the United States. Charles S. Howard would join Crosby as a founding partner and director of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

Crosby and Lindsay Howard formed Binglin Stable to race and breed thoroughbred horses at a ranch in Moorpark in Ventura County, California. Binglin Stable in Moorpark, Ventura County California was a stock Farm established during the latter part of the 1930s to race and Moorpark is a city of 37342 people in Southern California. It was founded in 1900 by Robert Poindexter presumably named after the Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the US state of California ( Southern California) They also established the Binglin stock farm in Argentina, where they raced horses at Hipódromo de Palermo in Palermo, Buenos Aires. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Palermo is a neighborhood or Barrio of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. Binglin stable purchased a number of Argentine-bred horses and shipped them back to race in the United States. On August 12, 1938, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club hosted a $25,000 winner-take-all match race won by Charles S. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A match race is a race between two competitors going head-to-head Howard's Seabiscuit over Binglin Stable's Ligaroti. Seabiscuit ( May 23, 1933 &mdash May 17, 1947) was a champion Thoroughbred Race horse in the United States. Binglin's horse Don Bingo won the 1943 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The Suburban Handicap is an American Grade I stakes race for Thoroughbred Race horses aged three and older run at the classic one-and-one-quarter History and Information It is world-famous as the home of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown. Elmont is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) as well as a bedroom suburb of New York City in Long Island, Nassau County New York

The Binglin Stable partnership came to an end in 1953 as a result of a liquidation of assets by Crosby in order to raise the funds necessary to pay the federal and state inheritance taxes on his deceased wife's estate. ^[13]

A friend of jockey Johnny Longden, Crosby was a co-owner with Longden's friend Max Bell of the British colt Meadow Court, who won the 1965 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Irish Derby. In Sport, a jockey is one who rides Horses in Horse racing or steeplechase racing primarily as a profession John Eric Longden ( February 14, 1907 – February 14, 2003) was an American Hall of Fame jockey George Maxwell "Max" Bell ( 13 October 1912 &ndash 19 July 1972) was a Canadian Newspaper Publisher The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Meadow Court (1962-c1982 was an British Thoroughbred racehorse. The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Kingdom open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old The Irish Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in the Republic of Ireland for three-year-old Thoroughbred colts and In the Irish Derby's winner's circle at the Curragh, Crosby sang "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. The Curragh ( Irish An Currach is a flat open Plain of almost 5000 acres (20 km² of common land in County Kildare "

The Bing Crosby Breeders' Cup Handicap at Del Mar Racetrack is named in his honor. The Bing Crosby Breeders' Cup Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar California. History and information When Del Mar opened in 1937 Bing Crosby was at the gate to personally greet the fans

Personal life

Crosby was married twice, first to actress/nightclub singer Dixie Lee from 1930 until her death from ovarian cancer in 1952. For the franchised restaurant chain see Dixie Lee Fried Chicken. Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from an Ovary. The cancer most commonly forms in the lining of the ovary (resulting in epithelial They had four sons (Gary, Dennis, Phillip, and Lindsay). Gary Evan Crosby ( June 27, 1933 &ndash August 24, 1995) was an American Singer and Actor. Dennis Michael Crosby ( July 13, 1934 &ndash May 7, 1991) was an occasional American actor the son of singer and actor Bing Phillip Lang Crosby ( 13 July 1934 – 13 January 2004) was an American Actor and Singer, who began his career Lindsay Harry Crosby ( January 5, 1938 - December 11, 1989) was an American Actor and Singer. Dixie was an alcoholic, and the 1947 film Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman is indirectly based on her life. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Smash-Up the Story of a Woman is a 1947 film which tells the story of a nightclub singer who marries a rising singer and falls into Alcoholism when she After Dixie's death, Crosby had relationships with actresses Grace Kelly, Inger Stevens, and Playboy model Pat Sheehan before marrying the much-younger actress Kathryn Grant in 1957. Grace Patricia Kelly (later Grace Princess of Monaco; November 12 1929 &ndash September 14 1982 was an Academy Award -winning American film and Inger Stevens ( October 18, 1934 – April 30, 1970) was a Golden Globe -winning Emmy -nominated Swedish-American Patricia Ann Sheehan, also known as Patricia Sheehan Crosby (born September 7 1931 in San Francisco California – died January 14 2006 in Beverly Hills California Kathryn Crosby (born November 25 1933) is an American actress and singer who performed her most memorable roles under the stage-name Kathryn Grant Bing and Kathryn had three children Harry, Mary (best known for portraying Kristin Shepard, the woman who shot J. Harry Lillis Crosby III (born 8 August 1958) is an American Actor, Singer and Investment banker. Mary Frances Crosby (born September 14, 1959) is an American actress. R. Ewing on TV's Dallas), and Nathaniel. Dallas is a highly popular long-running American prime-time television Soap opera that originally ran from 1978 to 1991 Nathaniel Patrick Crosby (born October 29, 1961) is an American Golfer Background Crosby was born at Hillsborough California

Crosby reportedly overindulged in alcohol in his youth, and may have been dismissed from Paul Whiteman's orchestra because of it, but he later got a handle on his drinking. A 2001 biography of Crosby by Village Voice jazz critic Gary Giddins says that Louis Armstrong's influence on Bing "extended to his love of marijuana. This article is about a New York newspaper For the Ottawa Hills Ohio magazine see The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills. Gary Giddins (Born March 21, 1948) critic author director best known for his longtime work with The Village Voice. Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana, or ganja (from Hindi / Sanskrit: गांजा gānjā hemp) is a " Bing smoked it during his early career when it was legal and "surprised interviewers" in the 1960s and 70s by advocating its decriminalization, as did Armstrong. According to Giddins, Bing told his son Gary to stay away from alcohol ("It killed your mother") and suggested he smoke pot instead. Gary said, "There were other times when marijuana was mentioned and he'd get a smile on his face. " Gary thought his father's pot smoking had influenced his easy-going style in his films. Crosby also smoked two packs of cigarettes a day until his second wife made him stop. He finally quit smoking his pipe and cigars following lung surgery in 1974. ^[1]

Bing Crosby had an interest in sports. From 1946 until the mid-1960s, Crosby was part-owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates and helped form the nucleus of the Pirates' 1960 championship club. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 1960 World Series was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates (NL and New York Yankees (AL from October 5 to October 13, 1960 In 1978, he and Bob Hope were voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. The Bob Jones Award is the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf The United States Golf Association ( USGA) is the United States ' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body

Following his recovery from a life-threatening fungal infection of his right lung in 1974, Crosby emerged from semi-retirement to produce several notable albums and concert tours. In March, 1977, after videotaping a concert for CBS to commemorate his 50th anniversary in show business, Crosby backed off the stage into an orchestra pit, rupturing a disc in his back that required a month of hospitalization. In his first performance after the accident and his last American concert, on August 16, 1977 in Concord, CA, the power went out, and he continued singing without amplification. In September, Crosby, his family, and singer Rosemary Clooney began a concert tour of England that included two weeks at the London Palladium. Rosemary Clooney ( May 23, 1928 &ndash June 29, 2002) was an American Singer and actress whose warm radiant The London Palladium is a 2286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. While in England, Crosby recorded his final album, Seasons, and his final TV Christmas special with guests David Bowie and Twiggy. David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. Twiggy (born Lesley Hornby; 19 September 1949) is an English Supermodel, Actress, and Singer, now also His duet with Bowie on "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy," generated so much interest that it was later released as a single and became an annual holiday classic. " Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy " is a medley of two Christmas songs performed by David Bowie and Bing Crosby. At the end of the century, TV Guide listed the Crosby-Bowie duet as one of the 25 most memorable musical moments of 20th century television.

At the conclusion of his work in England, Bing flew alone to Spain to hunt and play golf. Shortly after 6:00 p. m. on October 14, Crosby died suddenly from a massive heart attack after a round of eighteen holes of golf near Madrid where he and his Spanish golfing partner had just defeated their two opponents. His last words were reported as, "That was a great game of golf, fellas. " However, according to his companions and recorded by biographer Gary Giddins, Crosby then said, "Let's go get a Coke. Gary Giddins (Born March 21, 1948) critic author director best known for his longtime work with The Village Voice. "

Because of incorrect instructions from his family, the year of birth engraved on Bing Crosby's tombstone is 1904, rather than the correct date of 1903. He was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California next to his first wife. Holy Cross Cemetery is located at 5835 W Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California. Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County California. He was buried nine feet deep so that his second wife could be buried with him.

At his death, Bing was worth over $150 million because of his shrewd investments in oil, real estate, and other commodities, making him one of Hollywood's then-wealthiest residents, along with Fred MacMurray, Lawrence Welk, and best friend Bob Hope. Frederick Martin MacMurray ( August 30, 1908 &ndash November 5, 1991) was an American Actor who appeared in over one Lawrence Welk ( March 11, 1903 &ndash May 17, 1992) was a Musician, Accordionist Bandleader, and Television Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in A clause in his will stated that his sons from his first marriage could not collect their inheritance money until they were in their 80s. Bing felt that they had already been amply taken care of by a trust fund set up by their mother, Dixie Lee. All four sons continued to collect monies from that fund until their deaths. However, none lived long enough to collect any of their inheritance from their father.

After Bing's death, his image as an ideal father (fostered in part by his family's participation on his famous holiday television specials) was nearly destroyed when his eldest son, Gary, wrote a highly critical memoir, Going My Own Way, depicting Bing as cold, remote, and both physically and psychologically abusive. Although Gary didn't specifically say that Bing had sexually abused him, much of the book hinted at the possibility, particularly the rituals of nude weighings and subsequent beatings if Gary was overweight.

Younger son Phillip frequently disputed his brother Gary's claims about their father. In an interview conducted in 1999 by the Globe, Phillip is quoted as saying, "My dad was not the monster my lying brother said he was; he was strict, but my father never beat us black and blue, and my brother Gary was a vicious, no-good liar for saying so. I have nothing but fond memories of Dad, going to studios with him, family vacations at our cabin in Idaho, boating and fishing with him. To my dying day, I'll hate Gary for dragging Dad's name through the mud. He wrote Going My Own Way out of greed. He wanted to make money and knew that humiliating our father and blackening his name was the only way he could do it. He knew it would generate a lot of publicity. That was the only way he could get his ugly, no-talent face on television and in the newspapers. My dad was my hero. I loved him very much. He loved all of us too, including Gary. He was a great father. "

However, Lindsay and Dennis publicly agreed with many of Gary's criticisms of their father and both eventually committed suicide. It was widely published at the time of Lindsay's December 11, 1989 death that he ended his life the day after watching his father sing "White Christmas" on television. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Dennis ended his life two years later, grieving over his brother's death, and battered, just as his brother had been, by alcoholism, failed relationships, and a lackluster career. Both brothers were subsisting on small allowances from their mother's trust fund; both died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head.

Nancy Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's daughter, opined on Bing's treatment of his children. Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor "Dad loved Bing so much when he was young that it was hard for him to stop loving him later, even after he found out that he was a brutal parent. He was just awful on his kids. They used to end up at our house after being thrown out of their house. "^[14]

Phillip died in 2004; the media reported the causes as "natural" or "unspecified. " The coroner's decision not to publicly cite the specific cause of Phillip's death caused some to speculate that he also committed suicide.

Denise Crosby, Dennis' daughter, is also an actress and known for her role as Tasha Yar on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Denise Michelle Crosby (born November 24, 1957) is an American actress who is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Security Chief Lieutenant Natasha "Tasha" Yar, played by Denise Crosby, is a character in Star Trek The Next Generation. Star Trek The Next Generation ( STTNG or TNG) is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry

Nathaniel Crosby, Bing's youngest son from his second marriage, was a high-level golfer who won the U.S. Amateur at age 19 in 1981, becoming the youngest-ever winner of that event (a record later broken by Tiger Woods). Nathaniel Patrick Crosby (born October 29, 1961) is an American Golfer Background Crosby was born at Hillsborough California Background and family Woods was born in Cypress, California to Earl (1932-2006 and Kultida (Tida Woods

Widow Kathryn Crosby would dabble in local theater productions intermittently, and appear in television tributes to her late husband. Kathryn Crosby (born November 25 1933) is an American actress and singer who performed her most memorable roles under the stage-name Kathryn Grant Although left very comfortable in Bing's will, Kathryn's allowance would be controlled by a foundation Bing had carefully set up. She later accepted a job as spokeswoman for San Francisco Bay Area's Coit Cleaners, which specialized in soiled carpets and draperies. For a few years after Bing's death, Kathryn appeared in radio, television and print ads for the company, even permitting home tours of the Crosby mansion in pricy Hillsborough, California to demonstrate the service. Hillsborough is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 2006, Crosby's niece, Carolyn Schneider, attempted to dispel some of the more vitriolic books penned about her uncle, publishing "Me and Uncle Bing," in which she offered an intimate glimpse of her family, and gratitude for Crosby's generosity to her and to other family members. Since publication of her book, Schneider has been a favorite at gatherings of Crosby fans, and has offered her memories of "Uncle Bing" to the BBC.

Legacy

Crosby's childhood home in Spokane, Washington now serves as the Alumni Association office for Gonzaga University. Gonzaga University is a private Catholic Jesuit university located in Spokane, Washington. His dorm blanket hangs in the stairwell, and other memorabilia can be found on the first floor as well as in the "Crosbyana Room" at the Crosby Student Center, where his Oscar for Going My Way is on display. A statue of Crosby is located at the front steps of the student center, although his pipe has frequently been stolen as a prank. There is a campus legend that Crosby was asked to leave Gonzaga after trying (and failing) to use a pulley to bring a piano to his fourth floor dorm room in DeSmet Hall; the piano reportedly shattered on the ground below. In 2006, the Met Theater in Spokane, Washington was renamed "The Bing," in honor of Bing Crosby.

He is a member of the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in the radio division. The National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame is a yearly honor from the National Association of Broadcasters. ^[15]

Filmography

Feature films

Short subjects

Television

• The Bing Crosby Show (1954)
• The Edsel Show (1957)
• Bing Crosby in London (1961)
• The Bing Crosby Show (1964-1965)
• Bing Crosby in Dublin (1965)
• Goldilocks (1971) (voice)
• Dr. Show Business at War was a Short film (17 minutes made in 1943 to tout the United States Film industry 's contribution to the The year 1955 in film involved some significant events Events November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls The Edsel Show was an hour-long Television special broadcast live on CBS in the United States on October 13, 1957, Goldilocks is a half hour musical animated film produced strictly for television in 1970 and first viewed in 1971 Cook's Garden (1971)
• Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire: A Couple of Song and Dance Men (1975)
• The Bell Telephone Jubilee (1976)

Discography

These are Crosby's LPs. A gramophone

• 1945 Merry Christmas
• 1953 Le Bing: Song Hits of Paris
• 1953 Some Fine Old Chestnuts
• 1954 Selections from White Christmas (w/ Peggy Lee and Danny Kaye)
• 1954 Bing: A Musical Autobiography
• 1955 Merry Christmas (retooling of 1945 78rpm album of the same name, later re-named "White Christmas" in 2000)
• 1956 High Society [Soundtrack] (w/Frank Sinatra/Grace Kelly/Louis Armstrong)
• 1956 Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around
• 1956 Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings
• 1957 Bing With A Beat
• 1957 Christmas Story
• 1957 New Tricks (album)
• 1958 Fancy Meeting You Here ( w/ Rosemary Clooney)
• 1958 A Christmas Sing with Bing Around the World
• 1959 How the West was Won
• 1959 Join Bing and Sing Along
• 1960 El Senor Bing
• 1960 Bing and Satchmo
• 1960 101 Gang Songs
• 1961 Holiday in Europe
• 1962 On the Happy Side
• 1962 I Wish You a Merry Christmas
• 1963 Return to Paradise Islands
• 1963 Great Country Hits
• 1964 Robin & the Seven Hoods Soundtrack (w/Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin/Sammy Davis Jr)
• 1965 That Travelin' Two-Beat (w/ Rosemary Clooney)
• 1965 The Songs I Love
• 1968 Thoroughly Modern Bing
• 1968 The Songs I Love
• 1968 Hey Jude Hey Bing
• 1971 A Time to Be Jolly
• 1972 Bing 'n' Basie
• 1975 A Southern Memoir
• 1975 That's What Life Is All About
• 1975 Bingo Viejo
• 1975 A Couple of Song and Dance Men
• 1976 Live at the London Palladium
• 1976 At My Time of Life
• 1976 Feels Good Feels Right
• 1976 Beautiful Memories
• 1977 Seasons

Radio

• First Network Radio Program (1931, CBS), unsponsored, 6 nights a week, 15 minutes. White Christmas is a 1945 Christmas album by Bing Crosby. Originally released as Merry Christmas, it has since been revised Le Bing is a 1953 (see 1953 in music) album by Bing Crosby. It was Crosby's first long-playing album, and was released by Decca Records Some Fine Old Chestnuts was Bing Crosby's second Decca long play album recorded and originally released in 1953 Selections from Irving Berlin's White Christmas was one of two albums featuring some of the cast from the 1954 Movie White Christmas. Peggy Lee ( May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002) was an American Jazz and popular music singer and Songwriter Danny Kaye ( January 18, 1913 – March 3, 1987) was an American award-winning Actor, Singer and Comedian Bing A Musical Autobiography was Bing Crosby's fourth Decca long play album recorded and originally released in 1954 as a 5 LP set High Society is a 1956 soundtrack album featuring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Grace Kelly. Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around was Bing Crosby's fifth Decca long play album recorded and originally released in 1956 Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings was Bing Crosby's sixth long play album but the first recorded with Verve. Bing With A Beat was Bing Crosby's seventh long play album but his first recorded with RCA Victor. New Tricks was Bing Crosby's sixth Decca long-playing album but his eighth original LP Fancy Meeting You Here, recorded with Rosemary Clooney and Billy May's Orchestra, was Bing Crosby's ninth LP Rosemary Clooney ( May 23, 1928 &ndash June 29, 2002) was an American Singer and actress whose warm radiant How the West Was Won was an album released by RCA Victor Records in 1959. That Travelin' Two-Beat was a Duet album by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, recorded in August and December 1964 and released on Rosemary Clooney ( May 23, 1928 &ndash June 29, 2002) was an American Singer and actress whose warm radiant This article is about the radio group for the radio network see CBS Radio Network.
• The Cremo Singer (1931-1932, CBS), 6 nights a week, 15 minutes.
• Unsponsored (1932, CBS), initially 3 nights a week, then twice a week, 15 minutes.
• Chesterfield's Music that Satisfies (1933, CBS), broadcast two nights, 15 minutes. Chesterfield is a brand of cigarette made by Altria. It was one of the most recognized brands of the early 20th century but sales have
• Bing Crosby Entertains for Woodbury Soap (1933-1935, CBS), weekly, 30 minutes. Woodbury Soap Company, "The skin you love to touch" ( J Walter Thompson Co 1911 Woodbury Soap Company has existed as a brand for over one hundred years
• Kraft Music Hall (1935-1946, NBC), Thursday nights, 60 minutes until Jan. Kraft Foods Inc ( is the second-largest Food and Beverage company headquartered in North America (behind PepsiCo) and the third The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's 1943, then 30 minutes.
• Armed Forces Radio (1941-1945; World War II).
• Philco Radio Time (1946-1949, ABC), 30 minutes weekly. Philco, the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company (formerly known as the Spencer Company and later the Helios Electric Company) was a pioneer in early battery ABC Radio Networks, known as ABC Radio for short is an American Radio network.
• Chesterfield (1949-1952, CBS), 30 minutes weekly. Chesterfield is a brand of cigarette made by Altria. It was one of the most recognized brands of the early 20th century but sales have
• The Minute Maid Show (1949-1950, CBS), 15 minutes each weekday morning; Bing as disc jockey. Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with Lemonade or Orange juice, but now extends to Soft drinks of many kinds including
• The General Electric Show (1952-1954, CBS), 30 minutes weekly.
• The Bing Crosby Show (1954-1956, CBS), 15 minutes, 5 nights a week.
• A Christmas Sing with Bing (1955-1962, CBS, VOA and AFRS), 1 hour each year, sponsored by the Insurance Company of North America. Voice of America ( VOA) is the official external radio and Television broadcasting service of the United States federal government. American Forces Network (or AFN) is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS for its entertainment CIGNA Corporation ( is a Philadelphia-based health service company
• Ford Road Show (1957-1958, CBS), 5 minutes, 5 days a week. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following
• The Crosby-Clooney Show (1960-1962, CBS), 20 minutes, 5 mornings a week, with Rosemary Clooney. Rosemary Clooney ( May 23, 1928 &ndash June 29, 2002) was an American Singer and actress whose warm radiant

RIAA certification

References

Further reading

Prigozy, R. & Raubicheck, W. , ed. Going My Way: Bing Crosby and American Culture, The Boydell Press, 2007.

External links

• Bing Crosby at the Internet Movie Database
• Bing Crosby at the TCM Movie Database
• Bing Crosby at the Internet Broadway Database
• Bing Crosby's Official Site
• Bing Crosby Internet Museum
• Bing Crosby Collection at Gonzaga University
• Most Popular Entertainer of the Twentieth Century
• Immortal Talent's of Bing Crosby
• Most popular Singers of the 20th century
• Bing on the Phil Silvers Show
• Conference Bing Crosby (November 2002)
• Bing Crosby Article - by Dr. Frank Hoffmann
• The International Club Crosby Fan Club
• BING magazine (a publication of the ICC)
• "Bing still matters" article (2007) by Ted Nesi in The Sun Chronicle
• Bob Hope: The Road to Bed in TimesOnline