Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis"Bing"Crosby Jr.(May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide.Crosby was a leader inrecord sales, network radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1926 to 1977. He was one of the first globalcultural icons.Crosby made over 70 feature films and recorded more than 1,600 songs.
Crosby's early career coincided with recording innovations that allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed, such asFrank Sinatra,Perry Como,Dean Martin,Dick Haymes,Elvis Presley, andJohn Lennon.Yankmagazine said that Crosby was "the person who had done the most for the morale of overseas servicemen" during World War II.In 1948, American polls declared him the "most admired man alive", ahead ofJackie RobinsonandPope Pius XII.In 1948,Music Digestestimated that Crosby's recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music in America.
Crosby won theAcademy Award for Best Actorfor his performance inGoing My Way(1944) and was nominated for its sequel,The Bells of St. Mary's(1945), oppositeIngrid Bergman, becoming the first of six actors to be nominated twice for playing the same character. Crosby was the number one box office attraction for five consecutive years from 1944 to 1948.At his screen apex in 1946, Crosby starred in three of the year's five highest-grossing films:The Bells of St. Mary's,Blue Skies, andRoad to Utopia.In 1963, he received the firstGrammy Global Achievement Award.Crosby is one of 33 people to have three stars on theHollywood Walk of Fame,in the categories of motion pictures, radio, and audio recording.He was also known for his collaborations with his friendBob Hope, starring in theRoad to ...films from 1940 to 1962.
Crosby influenced the development of the post–World War IIrecording industry. After seeing a demonstration of a German broadcast qualityreel-to-reel tape recorderbrought to the United States byJohn T. Mullin, Crosby invested $50,000 in the California electronics companyAmpexto build copies. He then persuaded ABC to allow him to tape his shows and became the first performer to prerecord his radio shows and master his commercial recordings ontomagnetic tape. Crosby has been associated with theChristmas seasonsince he starred inIrving Berlin's musical filmHoliday Innand also sang "White Christmas" in thefilmof the same name. Through audio recordings, Crosby produced his radio programs with the same directorial tools and craftsmanship (editing, retaking, rehearsal,time shifting) used in motion picture production, a practice that became the industry standard.In addition to his work with early audio tape recording, Crosby helped finance the development of videotape, bought television stations, bred racehorses, and co-owned thePittsburgh Piratesbaseball team, during which time the team won twoWorld Series(1960and1971).
Crosby was born on May 3, 1903,inTacoma, Washington, in a house his father built at 1112 North J Street. Three years later, his family moved toSpokaneinEastern Washington state, where Crosby was raised.In 1913, his father built a house at 508 E. Sharp Avenue.The house stands on the campus of Crosby's alma mater,Gonzaga University, as a museum housing over 200 artifacts from his life and career, including his Oscar.
Crosby was the fourth of seven children: brothersLaurence Earl "Larry"(1895–1975), Everett Nathaniel (1896–1966), Edward John "Ted" (1900–1973), andGeorge Robert "Bob"(1913–1993); and two sisters, Catherine Cordelia (1904–1974) and Mary Rose (1906–1990). His parents were Harry Lillis Crosby(1870–1950), a bookkeeper, and Catherine Helen "Kate" (née Harrigan; 1873–1964). His mother was a second-generationIrish-American.His father was ofScottishandEnglishdescent; an ancestor, Simon Crosby, emigrated from theKingdom of EnglandtoNew Englandin the 1630s during thePuritan migration to New England.Through another line, also on his father's side, Crosby is descended fromMayflowerpassengerWilliam Brewster(c.1567 – 1644).
In 1917, Crosby took a summer job as property boy at Spokane's Auditorium, where he witnessed some of the acts of the day, includingAl Jolson, who held Crosby spellbound withad-libbingand parodies ofHawaiian songs. Crosby later described Jolson's delivery as "electric".
Crosby graduated fromGonzaga High Schoolin 1920 and enrolled at Gonzaga University. He attended Gonzaga for three years but did not earn a degree.As a freshman, Crosby played on the university's baseball team.The university granted him an honorary doctorate in 1937.Gonzaga University houses a large collection of photographs, correspondence, and other material related to Crosby.
On November 8, 1937, afterLux Radio Theatre'sadaptationofShe Loves Me Not,Joan Blondellasked Crosby how he got his nickname:
As it happens, that story was pure whimsy for dramatic effect; theAssociated Presshad reported as early as February 1932—as would later be confirmed by both Bing himself and his biographer Charles Thompson—that it was in fact a neighbor—Valentine Hobart, circa 1910—who had named him "Bingo from Bingville" after a comic feature in the local paper calledThe Bingville Buglewhich the young Harry liked. In time, Bingo got shortened to Bing.
In 1923, Crosby was invited to join a new band composed of high-school students a few years younger than himself.Aland Miles Rinker (brothers of singerMildred Bailey), James Heaton, Claire Pritchard and Robert Pritchard, along with drummer Crosby, formed the Musicaladers,who performed at dances both for high school students and club-goers. The group performed on Spokane radio stationKHQ, but disbanded after two years.Crosby and Al Rinker obtained work at the Clemmer Theatre in Spokane (now known as theBing Crosby Theater).
Crosby was initially a member of a vocal trio called The Three Harmony Aces with Al Rinker accompanying on piano from the pit, to entertain between the films. Crosby and Al continued at the Clemmer Theatre for several months, often with three other men—Wee Georgie Crittenden, Frank McBride, and Lloyd Grinnell—and they were billed The Clemmer Trio or The Clemmer Entertainers depending who performed.
In October 1925, Crosby and Rinker decided to seek fame in California. They traveled to Los Angeles, where Bailey introduced them to her show business contacts. TheFanchon and MarcoTime Agency hired them for 13 weeks for the revueThe Syncopation Ideastarting at the Boulevard Theater in Los Angeles and then on theLoew's circuit. They each earned $75 a week. As minor parts ofThe Syncopation Idea, Crosby and Rinker started to develop as entertainers. They had a lively style that was popular with college students. AfterThe Syncopation Ideaclosed, they worked in the Will Morrissey Music Hall Revue. They honed their skills with Morrissey, and when they got a chance to present an independent act, they were spotted by a member of thePaul Whitemanorganization.
Whiteman needed something different to break up his musical selections, and Crosby and Rinker filled this requirement. After less than a year in show business, they were attached to one of the biggest names.Hired for $150 a week in 1926, they debuted with Whiteman on December 6 at theTivoli Theatrein Chicago. Their first recording, in October 1926, was "I've Got the Girl" with Don Clark's Orchestra, but the Columbia-issued record was inadvertently recorded at a slow speed, which increased the singers' pitch when played at 78 rpm. Throughout his career, Crosby often credited Bailey for getting him his first important job in the entertainment business.
Success with Whiteman was followed by disaster when they reached New York. Whiteman considered letting them go. However, the addition of pianist and aspiring songwriterHarry Barrismade the difference, andThe Rhythm Boyswere born. The additional voice meant they could be heard more easily in large New York theaters. Crosby gained valuable experience on tour for a year with Whiteman and performing and recording withBix Beiderbecke,Jack Teagarden,Tommy Dorsey,Jimmy Dorsey,Eddie Lang, andHoagy Carmichael. Crosby matured as a performer and was in demand as a solo singer.
Crosby became the star attraction of the Rhythm Boys. In 1928, he had his first number one hit, a jazz-influenced rendition of "Ol' Man River". In 1929, the Rhythm Boys appeared in the filmKing of Jazzwith Whiteman, but Crosby's growing dissatisfaction with Whiteman led to the Rhythm Boys leaving his organization. They joined theGus ArnheimOrchestra, performing nightly in theCoconut Groveof the Ambassador Hotel. Singing with the Arnheim Orchestra, Crosby's solos began to steal the show while the Rhythm Boys' act gradually became redundant. Harry Barris wrote several of Crosby's hits, including "At Your Command", "I Surrender Dear", and "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams". WhenMack Sennettsigned Crosby to a solo film contract in 1931, a break with the Rhythm Boys became almost inevitable. Crosby marriedDixie Leein September 1930. After a threat of divorce in March 1931, he applied himself to his career.
On September 2, 1931,15 Minutes with Bing Crosby, his nationwide solo radio debut, began broadcasting.The weekly broadcast made Crosby a hit.Before the end of the year, hesignedwith bothBrunswick RecordsandCBS Radio. "Out of Nowhere", "Just One More Chance", "At Your Command", and "I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store)" were among the best-selling songs of 1931.
Ten of the top 50 songs of 1931 included Crosby with others or as a solo act. A "Battle of the Baritones" with singerRuss Columboproved short-lived, replaced with the slogan "Bing Was King". Crosby played the lead in a series ofmusical comedy short filmsfor Mack Sennett, signed with Paramount, and starred in his first full-length film, 1932'sThe Big Broadcast(1932), the first of 55 films in which he received top billing. Crosby would appear in almost 80 pictures. He signed a contract withJack Kapp's new record company,Decca, in late 1934.
Crosby's first commercial sponsor on radio wasCremo Cigarsand his fame spread nationwide. After a long run in New York, Crosby went back to Hollywood to filmThe Big Broadcast. His appearances, records, and radio work substantially increased his impact. The success of his first film brought Crosby a contract with Paramount, and he began a pattern of making three films a year. Crosby led his radio show for Woodbury Soap for two seasons while his live appearances dwindled. Crosby's records produced hits during the Depression when sales were down. Audio engineerSteve Hoffmanstated, "By the way, Bing actually saved the record business in 1934 when he agreed to support Decca founder Jack Kapp's crazy idea of lowering the price of singles from a dollar to 35 cents and getting a royalty for records sold instead of a flat fee. Bing's name and his artistry saved the recording industry. All the other artists signed to Decca after Bing did. Without him, Jack Kapp wouldn't have had a chance in hell of making Decca work and the Great Depression would have wiped out phonograph records for good."
His first sonGarywas born in 1933 with twin boys following in 1934. By 1936, Crosby replaced his former boss, Paul Whiteman, as host of the weekly NBC radio programKraft Music Hall, where he remained for the next decade. "Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)", with his trademark whistling, became his theme song and signature tune.
Crosby's vocal style helped take popular singing beyond the "belting" associated withAl JolsonandBilly Murray, who had been obligated to reach the back seats in New York theaters without the aid of a microphone. As music criticHenry Pleasantsnoted inThe Great American Popular Singers, something new had entered American music, a style that might be called "singing in American" with conversational ease. This new sound led to the popular epithetcrooner.
Crosby admiredLouis Armstrongfor his musical ability, and the trumpet maestro was a formative influence on Crosby's singing style. When the two met, they became friends. In 1936, Crosby exercised an option in his Paramount contract to regularly star in an out-of-house film. Signing an agreement withColumbiafor a single motion picture, Crosby wanted Armstrong to appear in a screen adaptation ofThe Peacock Featherthat eventually becamePennies from Heaven. Crosby askedHarry Cohn, but Cohn had no desire to pay for the flight or to meet Armstrong's "crude, mob-linked but devoted manager,Joe Glaser". Crosby threatened to leave the film and refused to discuss the matter. Cohn gave in; Armstrong's musical scenes and comic dialogue extended his influence to the silver screen, creating more opportunities for him and other African Americans to appear in future films. Crosby also ensured behind the scenes that Armstrong received equal billing with his white co-stars. Armstrong appreciated Crosby's progressive attitudes on race, and often expressed gratitude for the role in later years.
DuringWorld War II, Crosby made live appearances before American troops who had been fighting in theEuropean Theater. He learned how to pronounce German from written scripts and read propaganda broadcasts intended for German forces. The nickname "Der Bingle" was common among Crosby's German listeners and came to be used by his English-speaking fans. In a poll of U.S. troops at the close of World War II, Crosby topped the list as the person who had done the most for G.I. morale, ahead of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt, GeneralDwight Eisenhower, andBob Hope.
The June 18, 1945, issue ofLifemagazine stated, "America's number one star, Bing Crosby, has won more fans, made more money than any entertainer in history. Today he is a kind of national institution.""In all, 60,000,000 Crosby discs have been marketed since he made his first record in 1931. His biggest best seller is "White Christmas" 2,000,000 impressions of which have been sold in the U.S. and 250,000 in Great Britain.""Nine out of ten singers and bandleaders listen to Crosby's broadcasts each Thursday night and follow his lead. The day after he sings a song over the air—any song—some 50,000 copies of it are sold throughout the U.S. Time and again Crosby has taken some new or unknown ballad, has given it what is known in trade circles as the 'big goose' and made it a hit single-handed and overnight... Precisely what the future holds for Crosby neither his family nor his friends can conjecture. He has achieved greater popularity, made more money, attracted vaster audiences than any other entertainer in history. And his star is still in the ascendant. His contract with Decca runs until 1955. His contract with Paramount runs until 1954. Records which he made ten years ago are selling better than ever before. The nation's appetite for Crosby's voice and personality appears insatiable. To soldiers overseas and to foreigners he has become a kind of symbol of America, of the amiable, humorous citizen of a free land. Crosby, however, seldom bothers to contemplate his future. For one thing, he enjoys hearing himself sing, and if ever a day should dawn when the public wearies of him, he will complacently go right on singing—to himself."
The biggest hit song of Crosby's career was his recording ofIrving Berlin's "White Christmas", which Crosby introduced on a Christmas Day radio broadcast in 1941. A copy of the recording from the radio program is owned by the estate of Bing Crosby and was loaned toCBS Sunday Morningfor their December 25, 2011, program. The song appeared in his filmsHoliday Inn(1942), and—a decade later—inWhite Christmas(1954). Crosby's record hit the charts on October 3, 1942, and rose to number 1 on October 31, where it stayed for 11 weeks. A holiday perennial, the song was repeatedly re-released by Decca, charting another 16 times. It topped the charts again in 1945 and a third time in January 1947. The song remains the bestselling single of all time.Crosby's recording of "White Christmas" has sold over 50 million copies worldwide. His recording was so popular that Crosby was obliged to re-record it in 1947 using the same musicians and backup singers; the original 1942 master had become damaged due to its frequent use in pressing additional singles. In 1977, after Crosby died, the song was re-released and reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart.Crosby was dismissive of his role in the song's success, saying "a jackdaw with a cleft palate could have sung it successfully".
In the wake of a solid decade of headlining mainly smash hit musical comedy films in the 1930s, Crosby starred with Bob Hope andDorothy Lamourin six of the sevenRoad tomusical comedies between 1940 and 1962 (Lamour was replaced with Joan Collins inThe Road to Hong Kongand limited to a lengthy cameo), cementing Crosby and Hope as an on-and-off duo, despite never declaring themselves a "team" in the sense thatLaurel and HardyorMartin and Lewis(Dean MartinandJerry Lewis) were teams. The series consists ofRoad to Singapore(1940),Road to Zanzibar(1941),Road to Morocco(1942),Road to Utopia(1946),Road to Rio(1947),Road to Bali(1952), andThe Road to Hong Kong(1962). When they appeared solo, Crosby and Hope frequently made note of the other in a comically insulting fashion. They performed together countless times on stage, radio, film, and television, and made numerous brief and not so brief appearances together in movies aside from the "Road" pictures,Variety Girl(1947) being an example of lengthy scenes and songs together along with billing.
In the 1949 Disney animated filmThe Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Crosby provided the narration and song vocals forThe Legend of Sleepy Hollowsegment. In 1960, he starred inHigh Time, a collegiate comedy withFabian ForteandTuesday Weldthat predicted the emerging gap between Crosby and the new younger generation of musicians and actors who had begun their careers after World War II. The following year, Crosby and Hope reunited for one moreRoadmovie,The Road to Hong Kong, which teamed them up with the much youngerJoan CollinsandPeter Sellers. Collins was used in place of their longtime partner Dorothy Lamour, whom Crosby felt was getting too old for the role, though Hope refused to do the film without her, and she instead made a lengthy and elaborate cameo appearance.Shortly before his death in 1977, Crosby had planned anotherRoadfilm in which he, Hope, and Lamour search for the Fountain of Youth.
Crosby won anAcademy Award for Best ActorforGoing My Wayin 1944 and was nominated for the 1945 sequel,The Bells of St. Mary's. He received critical acclaim and his third Academy Award nomination for his performance as an alcoholic entertainer inThe Country Girl.
The Fireside Theater(1950) was his first television production. The series of 26-minute shows was filmed atHal Roach Studiosrather than performed live on the air. The "telefilms" were syndicated to individual television stations. Crosby was a frequent guest on the musical variety shows of the 1950s and 1960s, appearing on various variety shows as well as numerous late-night talk shows and his own highly rated specials. Bob Hope memorably devoted one of his monthly NBC specials to his long intermittent partnership with Crosby titled "On the Road With Bing". Crosby was associated with ABC'sThe Hollywood Palaceas the show's first and most frequent guest host and appeared annually on its Christmas edition with his wife Kathryn and his younger children, and continued afterThe Hollywood Palacewas eventually canceled. In the early 1970s, Crosby made two late appearances on theFlip Wilson Show, singing duets with the comedian. His last TV appearance was a Christmas special,Merrie Olde Christmas, taped in London in September 1977 and aired weeks after his death.It was on this special that Crosby recorded a duet of "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Peace on Earth" with rock musicianDavid Bowie. Their duet was released in 1982 as a single 45 rpm record and reached No. 3 in the UK singles charts.It has since become a staple of holiday radio and the final popular hit of Crosby's career. At the end of the 20th century,TV Guidelisted the Crosby-Bowie duet one of the 25 most memorable musical moments of 20th-century television.
Bing Crosby Productions, affiliated withDesilu Studiosand laterCBS Television Studios, produced a number of television series, including Crosby's own unsuccessful ABC sitcomThe Bing Crosby Showin the 1964–1965 season (with co-starsBeverly GarlandandFrank McHugh). The company produced two ABC medical dramas,Ben Casey(1961–1966) andBreaking Point(1963–1964), the popularHogan's Heroes(1965–1971) military comedy on CBS, as well as the lesser-known showSlattery's People(1964–1965).
Crosby was one of the first singers to exploit the intimacy of the microphone rather than use the loud, penetratingvaudevillestyle associated withAl Jolson.Crosby was, by his own definition, a "phraser", a singer who placed equal emphasis on both the lyrics and the music.Paul Whiteman's hiring of Crosby, with phrasing that echoed jazz, particularly his bandmateBix Beiderbecke's trumpet, helped bring the genre to a wider audience.In the framework of the novelty-singing style ofthe Rhythm Boys, Crosby bent notes and added off-tune phrasing, an approach that was rooted in jazz.He had already been introduced to Louis Armstrong andBessie Smithbefore his first appearance on record. Crosby and Armstrong remained warm acquaintances for decades, occasionally singing together in later years, e.g. "Now You Has Jazz" in the filmHigh Society(1956). In Crosby's performances, the presence of jazz phrasing, jazz rhythm and jazz improvisation varied depending on the piece of music, but those were elements that Crosby frequently used. This can be observed particularly in his straight jazz work during the late 1920s/early 1930s, Crosby's recordings with Buddy Cole and His Trio from the mid-1950s, as well as in his numerous collaborations with such jazz musicians as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Venuti, or Eddie Lang. However, while Crosby can be called a jazz singer, he was not strictly only a jazz singer as he modeled the style and techniques to a broad scope of music that he performed, ranging from Jazz to Country to even such material as operetta arias.
During the early portion of his solo career (about 1931–1934), Crosby's emotional, often pleading style ofcrooningwas popular. But Jack Kapp, manager of Brunswick and later Decca, talked Crosby into dropping many of his jazzier mannerisms in favor of a clear vocal style. Crosby credited Kapp for choosing hit songs, working with many other musicians, and most important, diversifying his repertoire into several styles and genres. Kapp helped Crosby have number one hits inChristmas music,Hawaiian music, andcountry music, and top-30 hits inIrish music,French music,rhythm and blues, andballads.
Crosby elaborated on an idea of Al Jolson's: phrasing, or the art of making a song's lyric ring true. "I used to tellSinatraover and over," said Tommy Dorsey, "there's only one singer you ought to listen to and his name is Crosby. All that matters to him is the words, and that's the only thing that ought to for you, too."
CriticHenry Pleasantswrote in 1985: [While] 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.
Crosby's was among the most popular and successful musical acts of the 20th century.Billboardmagazine used different methodologies during his career, but his chart success remains impressive: 396 chart singles, including roughly 41 number 1 hits. Crosby had separate charting singles every year between 1931 and 1954; the annual re-release of "White Christmas" extended that streak to 1957. He had 24 separate popular singles in 1939 alone. StatisticianJoel WhitburnatBillboarddetermined that Crosby was America's most successful recording act of the 1930s and again in the 1940s.
The number of Bing Crosby record sales varies. Organizations that audit record sales do not have an official tally, but some claim sales are notable, namely: In 1960, Crosby was honored as "First Citizen of Record Industry" based on having sold 200 million discs.The Guinness Book reported some of the singer's worldwide sales on a few occasions: In 1973, Crosby had sold more than 400 million records worldwide, and by 1977 he had sold 500 million discs, being ranked as the most successful and best-selling musical artist in 1978.Some sources contradict these alleged sales to the Guinness Book, as it is not an organization that counts or audits artists' sales in the United States or worldwide. According to different sources, Bing Crosby's sales number varies between: 300 million,500 million,or even 1 billion, making him one of the best-selling singers in history.The single "White Christmas" sold over 50 million copies according toGuinness World Records.
For 15 years (1934, 1937, 1940, 1943–1954), Crosby was among the top 10 acts in box-office sales, and for five of those years (1944–1948) he topped the world.Crosby sang fourAcademy 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 the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role inGoing My Way(1944).
A survey in 2000 found that with 1,077,900,000 movie tickets sold, Crosby was the third-most-popular actor of all time, behindClark Gable(1,168,300,000) andJohn Wayne(1,114,000,000).TheInternational Motion Picture Almanaclists Crosby in a tie for second-most years at number one on the All Time Number One Stars List withClint Eastwood,Tom Hanks, andBurt Reynolds.His most popular film,White Christmas, grossed $30 million in 1954 ($340 million in current value).
Crosby received 23 gold and platinum records, according to the bookMillion Selling Records. The Recording Industry Association of America did not institute its gold record certification program until 1958 when Crosby's record sales were low. Before 1958, gold records were awarded by record companies.Crosby charted 23Billboardhits from 47 recorded songs with theAndrews Sisters, whose Decca record sales were second only to Crosby's throughout the 1940s. They were his most frequent collaborators on disc from 1939 to 1952, a partnership that produced four million-selling singles: "Pistol Packin' Mama", "Jingle Bells", "Don't Fence Me In", and "South America, Take It Away".
They made one film appearance together inRoad to Riosinging "You Don't Have to Know the Language", and sang together on radio airwaves throughout the 1940s and 1950s. They appeared as guests on each other's shows and onArmed Forces Radio Serviceprogramming during and after World War II. The quartet's additional Top-10Billboardhits from 1943 to 1945 include "The Vict'ry Polka", "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Town of Berlin (When the Yanks Go Marching In)", and "Is You Is or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby?)" which helped the morale of the American public.
In 1962, Crosby was given theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He has been inducted into the halls of fame for both radio and popular music. In 2007, Crosby was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame and in 2008 the Western Music Hall of Fame.
Crosby's popularity around the world was such thatDorothy Masuka, the best-selling African recording artist, stated that, "Only Bing Crosby the famous American crooner sold more records than me in Africa." His great popularity throughout the continent led other African singers to emulate him, including Masuka,Dolly Rathebe, and Míriam Makeba, known locally as "The Bing Crosby of Africa".
PresenterMike Douglascommented in a 1975 interview, "During my days in the Navy inWorld War II, I remember walking the streets of Calcutta, India, on the coast; it was a lonely night, so far from my home and from my new wife, Gen. I needed something to lift my spirits. As I passed a Hindu sitting on the corner of a street, I heard something surprisingly familiar. I came back to see the man playing one of those old Vitrolas, like those of RCA with the horn speaker. The man was listening to Bing Crosby sing, "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive". I stopped and smiled in grateful acknowledgment. The Hindu nodded and smiled back. The whole world knew and loved Bing Crosby."His popularity in India led many Hindu singers to imitate and emulate him, notably Kishore Kumar, considered the "Bing Crosby of India".
Throughout Europe and Russia, Crosby was also known as "Der Bingle", a pseudonym coined in 1944 by Bob Musel, an American journalist based in London, after Crosby had recorded three 15-minute programs with Jack Russin for broadcast to Germany from ABSIE.
According to Shoshana Klebanoff, Crosby became one of the richest men in the history of show business. He had investments in real estate, mines, oil wells, cattle ranches, race horses, music publishing, baseball teams, and television. Crosby made a fortune from theMinute MaidOrange Juice Corporation, in which he was a principal stockholder.
During theGolden Age of Radio, performers had to create their shows live, sometimes even redoing the program a second time for the West Coast time zone. Crosby had to do two live radio shows on the same day, three hours apart, for the East and West Coasts.Crosby's radio career took a significant turn in 1945, when he clashed with NBC over his insistence that he be allowed to pre-record his radio shows. The live production of radio shows was reinforced by the musicians' union andASCAP, which wanted to ensure continued work for their members. InOn the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, John Dunning wrote about German engineers having developed a tape recorder with a near-professional broadcast quality standard:
Crosby's insistence eventually factored into the further development ofmagnetic tape sound recordingand the radio industry's widespread adoption of it.He used his clout, both professionally and financially, for innovations in audio. But NBC and CBS refused to broadcast prerecorded radio programs. Crosby left the network and remained off the air for seven months, creating a legal battle with his sponsorKraftthat was settled out of court. Crosby returned to broadcasting for the last 13 weeks of the 1945–1946 season.
The Mutual Network, on the other hand, pre-recorded some of its programs as early as 1938 forThe ShadowwithOrson Welles. ABC was formed from the sale of theNBC Blue Networkin 1943 after a federalantitrustsuit and was willing to join Mutual in breaking the tradition. ABC offered Crosby $30,000 per week to produce a recorded show every Wednesday that would be sponsored byPhilco. He would get an additional $40,000 from 400 independent stations for the rights to broadcast the 30-minute show, which was sent to them every Monday on three 16-inch (41 cm)lacquer discsthat played ten minutes per side at⁠33+1/3⁠rpm.
Murdo MacKenzie of Bing Crosby Enterprises had seen a demonstration of the GermanMagnetophonin June 1947—the same device thatJack Mullinhad brought back from Radio Frankfurt with 50 reels of tape, at the end of the war. It was one of the magnetic tape recorders that BASF and AEG had built in Germany starting in 1935. The 6.5 mm ferric-oxide-coated tape could record 20 minutes per reel of high-quality sound.Alexander M. PoniatofforderedAmpex, which he founded in 1944, to manufacture an improved version of the Magnetophone.
Crosby hired Mullin to start recording hisPhilco Radio Timeshow on his German-made machine in August 1947 using the same 50 reels of I.G. Farben magnetic tape that Mullin had found at a radio station atBad Nauheimnear Frankfurt while working for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. The advantage was editing. As Crosby wrote in his autobiography:
Mullin's 1976 memoir of these early days of experimental recording agrees with Crosby's account:
Crosby invested $50,000 in Ampex with the intent to produce more machines.In 1948, the second season of Philco shows was recorded with the Ampex Model 200A and Scotch 111 tape from3M.Mullin explained how one new broadcasting technique was invented on the Crosby show with these machines:
Crosby started the tape recorder revolution in America. In his 1950 filmMr. Music, Crosby is seen singing into an Ampex tape recorder that reproduced his voice better than anything else. Also quick to adopt tape recording was his friend Bob Hope. Crosby gave one of the first Ampex Model 300 recorders to his friend, guitaristLes Paul, which led to Paul's invention ofmultitrack recording. His organization, the Crosby Research Foundation, held tape recording patents and developed equipment and recording techniques such as thelaugh trackthat are still in use.
With Frank Sinatra, Crosby was one of the principal backers for theUnited Western Recordersstudio complex in Los Angeles.
Mullin continued to work for Crosby to develop avideotape recorder(VTR). Television production was mostlylive televisionin its early years, but Crosby wanted the same ability to record that he had achieved in radio.The Fireside Theater(1950) sponsored byProcter & Gamble, was his first television production. Mullin had not yet succeeded with videotape, so Crosby filmed the series of 26-minute shows at the Hal Roach Studios, and the "telefilms" weresyndicatedto individual television stations.
Crosby continued to finance the development of videotape. Bing Crosby Enterprises gave the world's first demonstration of videotape recording in Los Angeles on November 11, 1951. Developed byJohn T. Mullinand Wayne R. Johnson since 1950, the device aired what were described as "blurred and indistinct" images, using a modifiedAmpex200 tape recorder and standard quarter-inch (6.3 mm) audio tape moving at 360 inches (9.1 m) per second.
A Crosby-led group purchased stationKCOP-TV, in Los Angeles, California, in 1954.NAFI Corporationand Crosby purchased television stationKPTVin Portland, Oregon, for $4 million on September 1, 1959.In 1960, NAFI purchased KCOP from Crosby's group.In the early 1950s, Crosby helped establish the CBS television affiliate in his hometown of Spokane, Washington. Crosby partnered withEd Craney, who owned the CBS radio affiliateKXLY (AM)and built a television studio west of Crosby's alma mater,Gonzaga University. After it began broadcasting, the station was sold within a year to Northern Pacific Radio and Television Corporation.
Crosby was a fan ofthoroughbred horse racingand bought his first racehorse in 1935. Two years later, Crosby became a founding partner of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and a member of its board of directors.Operating from theDel Mar RacetrackinDel Mar, California, the group included millionaire businessmanCharles S. Howard, who owned a successful racing stable that includedSeabiscuit.Charles' son,Lindsay C. Howard, became one of Crosby's closest friends; Crosby named his sonLindsayafter him, and would purchase his 40-roomHillsborough, California, estate from Lindsay in 1965.
Crosby and Lindsay Howard formedBinglin Stableto race and breed thoroughbred horses at a ranch inMoorparkin Ventura County, California.They also established the Binglin Stock Farm in Argentina, where they raced horses at Hipódromo de Palermo inPalermo, Buenos Aires. A number of Argentine-bred horses were purchased and shipped to race in the United States. On August 12, 1938, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club hosted a $25,000 winner-take-allmatch racewon by Charles S. Howard'sSeabiscuitover Binglin's horse Ligaroti.In 1943, Binglin's horse Don Bingo won theSuburban HandicapatBelmont Parkin Elmont, New York. The Binglin Stable partnership came to an end in 1953 as a result of a liquidation of assets by Crosby, who needed to raise enough funds to pay the hefty federal and state inheritance taxes on his deceased wife's estate.TheBing Crosby Breeders' Cup Handicapat Del Mar Racetrack is named in his honor.
Crosby had a keen interest in sports. In the 1930s, his friend and former college classmate,Gonzagahead coachMike Pecarovich, appointed Crosby as an assistant football coach.From 1946 until his death, Crosby owned a 25% share of thePittsburgh Pirates. Although he was passionate about the team, Crosby was too nervous to watch the deciding Game 7 of the1960 World Series, choosing to go to Paris with Kathryn and listen to its radio broadcast. Crosby had arranged forAmpex, another of his financial investments, to record theNBCtelecast onkinescope. The game was one of the most famous in baseball history, capped off byBill Mazeroski'swalk-off home runthat won the game for Pittsburgh. Crosby apparently viewed the complete film just once, and then stored it in his wine cellar, where it remained undisturbed until it was discovered in December 2009.The restored broadcast was shown onMLB Networkin December 2010.
Crosby was also an early investor in Bob Cobb'sBillings Mustangsbaseball club in 1948, joining other Hollywood starsCecil B. DeMille,Robert Taylor, andBarbara Stanwyckwho were also shareholders in the club. Crosby was also the honorary chairman of the club's board of directors.
Crosby was also an avid golfer. He first took up golf at age 12 as a caddy. Crosby was already spending much time on the golf course while touring the country in a vaudeville act or with Paul Whiteman's orchestra in the mid to late 1920s. Eventually, Crosby became accomplished at the sport, at his best reaching a two handicap. Crosby competed in both theBritishandU.S. Amateurchampionships, was a five-time club champion at Lakeside Golf Club in Hollywood, and once made a hole-in-one on the 16th hole atCypress Point.
In 1937, Crosby hosted the first 'Crosby Clambake', a pro-am tournament at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club inRancho Santa Fe, California, the event's location prior to World War II. After the war, the event resumed play in 1947 on golf courses in Pebble Beach, where it has been played ever since. Now theAT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the tournament is a staple of thePGA Tour, having featured Hollywood stars and other celebrities.
In 1950, Crosby became the third person to win the William D. Richardson award, which is given to a non-professional golfer "who has consistently made an outstanding contribution to golf".In 1978, he and Bob Hope were voted theBob Jones Award, the highest honor given by theUnited States Golf Associationin recognition of distinguished sportsmanship. Crosby is a member of theWorld Golf Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1978.
Crosby also was a keen fisherman. In the summer of 1966, he spent a week as the guest ofLord Egremont, staying inCockermouthand fishing on theRiver Derwent. Crosby's trip was filmed forThe American SportsmanonABC, although all did not go well at first as thesalmonwere not running. He did make up for it at the end of the week by catching a number ofsea trout.
InFront Royal, Virginia, a baseball stadium was named in Crosby's honor. The Front Royal Cardinals of the Valley Baseball League play their home games here. The Bing is also home to both of the county's high schools' baseball teams.
Crosby reportedly had a problem with alcohol abuse between the late 1920s and early 1930s, spending 60 days in jail for drinking and crashing his car duringprohibition. He got his drinking under control in 1931.
In 1977, Crosby toldBarbara Waltersin a televised interview that he thoughtmarijuanashould be legalized, because he believed it would make it much easier for the authorities to exert proper legal control over the market.
In December 1999, the New York Post published an article by Bill Hoffmann and Murray Weiss calledBing Crosby's Single Lifewhich claimed that "recently published" FBI files revealed connections with figures in theMafia"since his youth".However, Crosby's FBI files had already been published in 1992 and provide no indication that Crosby had ties to the Mafia except for one major, but accidental encounter in Chicago in 1929 which is not mentioned in the files, but is told by Crosby himself in his as-told-to autobiographyCall Me Lucky. In the over 280 pages of Crosby's FBI files, there is only one reference to organized crime or gambling dens, the content of some of the many threats that Crosby received throughout his life.
The comments made by FBI investigators in the memos discredited the claims made in the letters. In the FBI files, there is only one reference to a person associated with the Mafia. In a memorandum dated January 16, 1959, it is said: "The Salt Lake City Office has developed information indicating thatMoe Dalitzreceived an invitation to join a deer hunting party at Bing Crosby's Elko, Nevada, ranch, together with the crooner, his Las Vegas dentist and several business associates." However, Crosby had already sold his Elko ranch a year earlier, in 1958, and it is doubtful how much he was really involved in that meeting.
Crosby was married twice. His first wife was actress and nightclub singerDixie Lee, to whom he was married from 1930 until she died ofovarian cancerin 1952. They had four sons:Gary, twinsDennisandPhillip, andLindsay.Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman(1947) was rumored to be based on Lee's life. The Crosby family lived at 10500 Camarillo Street in North Hollywood for more than five years.
After his wife died, Crosby had relationships with modelPat Sheehan, who married his son Dennis in 1958, and actressesInger StevensandGrace Kelly. Crosby married actressKathryn Grant, who converted to Catholicism, in 1957.They had three children:Harry Lillis III, who played Bill inFriday the 13th,Mary Frances, best known for portrayingKristin Shepardon TV'sDallas, andNathaniel, the 1981 U.S. Amateur champion in golf.
Particularly during the late 1930s and the 1940s, Crosby's domestic life was dominated by his wife's excessive drinking. His efforts to cure her with the help of specialists failed. Tired of Dixie's drinking, Crosby even asked her for a divorce in January 1941. During the 1940s, he consistently had difficulties trying to stay away from home, while also trying to be there as much as possible for his children.
Crosby had one confirmed extramarital affair between 1945 and the late 1940s, while married to his first wife Dixie. ActressPatricia Neal, who herself at the time was having an affair with the marriedGary Cooper, wrote in her 1988 autobiographyAs I Amabout a cruise to England with actressJoan Caulfieldin 1948:
In the 2018 Crosby biographyBing Crosby: Swinging on a Star; the War Years, 1940–1946, there are excerpts from an original diary of two sisters, Violet and Mary Barsa, who, as young women, used to stalk Crosby in New York City in December 1945 and January 1946, and who detailed their observations in the diary. The document reveals that, during that time, Crosby was taking Caulfield out to dinner, visited theaters and opera houses with her, and  Caulfield and a person in her company entered theWaldorf Hotelwhere Crosby was staying. The document also clearly indicates that at their meetings a third person, in most instances, Caulfield's mother, was present. In 1954, Caulfield admitted to a relationship with a "top film star" who was a married man with children, who, in the end, chose his wife and children over her.
Caulfield's sister, Betty Caulfield, confirmed the romantic relationship between Caulfield and Crosby. Despite being a Catholic, Crosby was seriously considering divorce in order to marry Caulfield. Either in December 1945 or January 1946, Crosby approached Cardinal Francis Spellman with his difficulties with dealing with his wife's alcoholism, his love for Caulfield and his plan to file for divorce. According to Betty Caulfield, Spellman told Crosby: "Bing, you are Father O'Malley and under no circumstances can Father O'Malley get a divorce." Around the same time, Crosby talked to his mother about his intentions and she protested. Ultimately, Crosby chose to end the relationship and to stay with his wife. Crosby and Dixie reconciled, and he continued trying to help her overcome her alcohol issues.
In November 1958, Crosby purchased the 1,350-acreRising River RanchinCassel, Californiaafter renting a portion of it for several years.Attorney Ira Shadwell declined to disclose the purchase price. In October 1978, actorClint Eastwoodpurchased the ranch under the name of his business manager, Roy Kaufman, for $1.5 million.
Crosby and his family lived in the San Francisco area for many years. In 1963, he and his wife Kathryn moved with their three young children from Los Angeles to a $175,000 ten-bedroom Tudor estate inHillsborough, formerly owned by fellow horsemanLindsay C. Howard, one of Crosby's closest friends, because they did not want to raise their children in Hollywood, according to son Nathaniel. This house went up for sale by its current owners in 2021 for $13.75 million.
In 1965, the Crosbys moved to a larger, 40-room French chateau-style house on nearby Jackling Drive, where Kathryn Crosby continued to reside after Bing's death.This house served as a setting for some of the family'sMinute Maidorange juice television commercials.
After Crosby's death, his eldest son, Gary, published a highly critical memoir,Going My Own Way(1983; written in collaboration with noted music journalist Ross Firestone), depicting his father as cruel, cold, remote, and physically and psychologically abusive.While acknowledging that corporal punishments took place, there were reports of all of Gary's immediate siblings distancing themselves from the abuse claims, either in public or in private.
Crosby's younger son Phillip disputed his brother Gary's claims about their father. Around the time Gary published his claims, Phillip stated to the press that "Gary is a whining, bitching crybaby, walking around with a two-by-four on his shoulder and just daring people to nudge it off."Nevertheless, Phillip did not deny that Crosby believed in corporal punishment.In an interview withPeoplemagazine, Phillip stated that "we never got an extra whack or a cuff we didn't deserve".
Shortly before Gary's book was actually published, Lindsay said, "I'm glad [Gary] did it. I hope it clears up a lot of the old lies and rumors."Unlike Gary, Lindsay stated that he preferred to remember "all the good things I did with my dad and forget the times that were rough"."Lindsay Crosby supported his brother (Gary) at the time of its publication but had a tempered view of its revelations. 'I never expected affection from my father so it didn't bother me,' he once told an interviewer.'"However, after the book was published, Lindsay addressed the abuse claims and what the media had made out of them:
Dennis Crosby reportedly "said his older brother (Gary) was the most severely treated of the four boys. 'He got the first licking, and we got the second.'"
Gary's first wife of 19 years, Barbara Cosentino, of whom Gary wrote in his book, "I could confide in her about Mom and Dad and my childhood",and with whom Gary stayed friendly after the divorce, stated:
Gary Crosby's adopted son, Steven Crosby, said in a 2003 interview:
Bing's younger brother, singer and jazz bandleaderBob Crosby, recalled at the time of Gary's revelations that Bing was a "disciplinarian", as their mother and father had been. He added, "We were brought up that way."In an interview for the same article, Gary clarified that Bing "was like a lot of fathers of that time. He was not out to be vicious, to beat children for his kicks."
The author of the 2018 biography on Bing Crosby,Gary Giddins, claims that Gary Crosby's memoir is not reliable on many instances and cannot be trusted on the abuse stories.
Crosby's will established ablind trustin which none of the sons received an inheritance until they reached the age of 65, intended by Crosby to keep them out of trouble.They instead received several thousand dollars per month from a trust left in 1952 by their mother, Dixie Lee. The trust, tied to high-performing oil stocks, folded in December 1989 following the1980s oil glut.
Lindsay Crosby died in 1989 at age 51, and Dennis Crosby died in 1991 at age 56, both bysuicidefrom self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Gary Crosby died of lung cancer in 1995 at age 62. Phillip Crosby died of a heart attack in 2004 at age 69.
Nathaniel Crosby, Crosby's younger son from his second marriage, is a former high-level golfer who won theU.S. Amateurin 1981 at age 19, becoming the youngest winner in the history of that event at the time.Harry Crosbyis an investment banker who occasionally makes singing appearances.
Denise Crosby, Dennis Crosby's daughter, is an actress and is known for her role asTasha YaronStar Trek: The Next Generation. She appeared in the1989 film adaptationofStephen King's novelPet Sematary.
In 2006, Crosby's niece through his sister Mary Rose, Carolyn Schneider, published the laudatory bookMe and Uncle Bing.
Disputes between Crosby's two families began in the late 1990s. When Dixie died in 1952, her will provided that her share of the community property be distributed in trust to her sons. After Crosby's death in 1977, he left the residue of his estate to a marital trust for the benefit of his widow, Kathryn, and HLC Properties, Ltd., was formed for the purpose of managing his interests, including his right of publicity. In 1996, Dixie's trust sued HLC and Kathryn for declaratory relief as to the trust's entitlement to interest, dividends, royalties, and other income derived from the community property of Crosby and Dixie.
In 1999, the parties settled for approximately $1.5 million. Relying on a retroactive amendment to theCalifornia Civil Code, Dixie's trust brought suit again, in 2010, alleging that Crosby's right of publicity was community property, and that Dixie's trust was entitled to a share of the revenue it produced. The trial court granted Dixie's trust's claim. The California Court of Appeals reversed it, holding that the 1999 settlement barred the claim. In light of the court's ruling, it was unnecessary for the court to decide whether a right of publicity can be characterized ascommunity propertyunder California law.
Following his recovery from a life-threatening fungal infection in his right lung in January 1974, Crosby emerged from semi-retirement to start a new spate of albums and concerts. On March 20, 1977, after videotaping a CBS concert special, "Bing – 50th Anniversary Gala", at the Ambassador Auditorium with Bob Hope looking on, Crosby fell off the stage into anorchestra pit, rupturing a disc in his back requiring a month-long stay in the hospital.Crosby's first performance after the accident was his last American concert, on August 16, 1977, the dayElvis Presleydied, at theConcord PavilioninConcord, California. When the electric power failed during his performance, Crosby continued singing without amplification.On August 27, Crosby gave a televised concert in Norway.
In September, Crosby, his family and singerRosemary Clooneybegan a concert tour of Britain that included two weeks at theLondon Palladium. While in the UK, Crosby recorded his final album,Seasons, and his final TVChristmas specialwith guestDavid Bowieon September 11, which aired a little over a month after Crosby's death. Crosby's last concert was in theBrighton Centreon October 10, four days before his death, with British entertainerGracie Fieldsin attendance. The following day, Crosby made his final appearance in a recording studio and sang eight songs at the BBC'sMaida Vale Studiosfor a radio program, which included an interview withAlan Dell.Accompanied by the Gordon Rose Orchestra, Crosby's last recorded performance was of the song "Once in a While". Later that afternoon, he met with Chris Harding to take photographs for theSeasonsalbum jacket.
On October 13, 1977, Crosby flew alone to Spain to play golf and hunt partridge.The next day, Crosby played 18 holes of golf at theLa Moraleja GolfCourse near Madrid. His partner wasWorld CupchampionManuel Piñero. Their opponents were club president César de Zulueta andValentín Barrios.According to Barrios, Crosby was in good spirits throughout the day, and was photographed several times during the round.At the ninth hole, construction workers building a house nearby recognized Crosby, and when asked for a song, Crosby sang "Strangers in the Night".Crosby, who had a 13handicap, won with his partner by one stroke.
As Crosby and his party headed back to the clubhouse at around 6:30 p.m., Crosby said, "That was a great game of golf, fellas. Let's go have aCoca-Cola." Those were hislast words.About 20 yards (18 m) from the clubhouse entrance, Crosby collapsed and died instantly from a massive heart attack.At the clubhouse and later in the ambulance, house physician Dr. Laiseca tried to revive him, but was unsuccessful. At Reina Victoria Hospital, Crosby was administered thelast ritesof the Catholic Church and was pronounced dead at the age of 74.
On October 18, 1977, following a privatefuneral MassatSt. Paul the Apostle Catholic ChurchinWestwood, Los Angeles,Crosby was buried atHoly Cross Cemeteryin Culver City, California.
Crosby is a member of theNational Association of Broadcasters Hall of Famein the radio division.
The family created an official websiteon October 14, 2007, the 30th anniversary of Crosby's death.
In his autobiographyDon't Shoot, It's Only Me!(1990), Bob Hope wrote, "Dear old Bing, as we called him, theEconomy-sized Sinatra. And what a voice. God I miss that voice. I can't even turn on the radio around Christmas time without crying anymore."
Calypso musicianRoaring Lionwrote a tribute song in 1939 titled "Bing Crosby", in which he wrote: "Bing has a way of singing with his very heart and soul / Which captivates the world / His millions of listeners never fail to rejoice / At his golden voice...."
Bing Crosby Stadium inFront Royal, Virginia, was named after Crosby in honor of his fundraising and cash contributions for its construction from 1948 to 1950.
In 2006, the former Metropolitan Theater of Performing Arts ('The Met') inSpokane, Washington, was renamed to The Bing Crosby Theater.
Crosby has three stars on theHollywood Walk of Fame. One each for radio, recording, and motion pictures.
Crosby wrote or co-wrote lyrics to 22 songs. His composition "At Your Command" was number 1 for three weeks on the U.S. pop singles chart beginning on August 8, 1931. "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" was his most successful composition, recorded byDuke Ellington,Frank Sinatra,Thelonious Monk,Billie Holiday, andMildred Bailey, among others. Songs co-written by Crosby include:
Four performances by Bing Crosby have been inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance".