Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was one of the most popular and influential American singers and actors of the 20th century whose career flourished from 1926 until his death in 1977.

Popular success

In 1926, Crosby caught the eye of Paul Whiteman (a.k.a The King Of Jazz) while singing on the vaudville in Los Angeles. Hired to join one of the most popular bands in America, the fledgling vocalist would recive a musical education from the greatest musicians of the era. Unlike the typical vaudville "shouters," he learned to work the microphone (and the crowd) drawing the audience in with his smooth, gentle crooning.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles - America

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Bing soon became the star attraction of the band and sang Whiteman's biggest hit if 1928, "Ol' Man River." However, his repeated youthful peccadilloes forced Whiteman to fire him 1930. Crosby had no desire to step out on his own, but was now forced into a solo career.

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In early 1931, Bing landed his first hit under his own name with "I Surrender, Dear." He contined to chart throughout the year with "Out Of Nowhere," "Just One More Chance," "Wrap your Troubles In Dreams" and "I Found A Million Dollar Baby." Crosby became so popular Mack Sennett (of Keystone Kops fames) signed him up for six two reelers, each based on one of his songs. (Today this is Redistributed under the title of "Road to Hollywood.")

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That same year (1931), Bing made his solo debut on a popular CBS radio show and by 1936, replaced his former boss, Paul Whiteman, as the host of NBC's Kraft Music Hall, a weekly radio where he would remain for the next ten years.

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Crosby's entertainment trifecta led to major motion picture contract with Paramount Pictures beginning with The Big Broadcast Of 1932. He went on to star in some 55 full-length films. For five consecutive years, from 1944 thru 1948, Bing was the the #1 box office draw in America. In 1944 Bing won an Oscar for his performance in "Going My Way"

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Crosby's biggest musical hit was his recording of Irving Berlin's (now famous) "White Christmas" which is one of the (if not the) most popular songs ever recorded, besides being Number #1 three times, "White Christmas,? is the only single to make American pop charts twenty times, every year but one between 1942 and 1962 and in 1998, after a long absence, his 1947 version hit the charts in Britain (This is just Bing Crosby's versions of the songs). He collected 21 other gold records, including "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "Too-Ra-Lo-Ra-Loo-Ral" and "Swinging on a Star". In 1962 he became the first recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Related Topics:
White Christmas - 1962 - Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

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Crosby also had regular radio shows from the 1930s–1950s, during the 1940s he recorded many songs with the Andrews Sisters, he starred in a network television sitcom in 1964–1965, and made numerous short films and television appearances.

Related Topics:
Radio - 1930s - 1950s - 1940s - The Andrews Sisters - Television - 1964 - 1965

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Crosby's desire to pre-record his radio shows, combined with a dissatisfaction with the available aluminum recording disks, was a significant factor in the development of magnetic tape recording and the radio industry's adoption of it. Crosby became an investor in Ampex, and Bing Crosby Enterprises became a distributor of the Ampex 200 tape recorder used to record the radio programs. History repeated when Crosby was asked to do a television show and demanded that it be pre-recorded, spurring the development and adoption of videotape.

Related Topics:
Magnetic tape recording - Ampex - Videotape

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Crosby recorded a version of Little Drummer Boy with David Bowie just one month prior to his death. The duet went on to attain cult status and charted well in countries around the world.

Related Topics:
Little Drummer Boy - David Bowie

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He turned down an offer to play "Columbo" because he didn't want it to interfere with his golf schedule.

Related Topics:
Columbo - Golf

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