Bing Crosby

Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (/ˈkrɒzbi/;

May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977)[1][2] was
an American singer, comedian and actor.[3]
The first multimedia star, Crosby was a
leader in record sales, radio ratings, and
motion picture grosses from 1931 to
1954.[1]:8 His early career coincided with
recording innovations that allowed him to
develop an intimate singing style that
influenced many male singers who
followed him, including Perry Como,[4]
Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, and Dean
Martin. Yank magazine said that he was
"the person who had done the most for the
morale of overseas servicemen" during
World War II.[5] In 1948, American polls
declared him the "most admired man
alive", ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope
Pius XII.[1]:6[6] Also in 1948, Music Digest
estimated that his recordings filled more
than half of the 80,000 weekly hours
allocated to recorded radio music.[6]
Bing Crosby
Crosby in 1951
Born Harry Lillis Crosby Jr.

May 3, 1903
Tacoma, Washington,
U.S.
Died October 14, 1977

(aged 74)
Alcobendas, Madrid,
Spain
Resting place Holy Cross Cemetery,
Culver City, California
Alma mater Gonzaga University
Occupation Singer - actor -

comedian
Years active 1926–1977
Home town Spokane, Washington
Spouse(s) Dixie Lee

(m. 1930; died 1952)
Kathryn Grant (m. 1957)
Children Gary, Dennis, Phillip,

Lindsay (with Dixie)
Harry III, Mary,
Nathaniel (with Kathryn)
Relatives Larry Crosby (brother)
Bob Crosby (brother)
Denise Crosby (granddaughter)
Chris Crosby (nephew)
Musical career
Genres Traditional pop •

easy listening • jazz
Labels Columbia • RCA Victor •

Brunswick • Reprise •
Decca • Capitol •
Verve • United Artists
Associated acts The Rhythm Boys •

Paul Whiteman •
Al Jolson • Bob Hope •
Ella Fitzgerald •
The Andrews Sisters •
Johnny Mercer •
The Rat Pack •
Rosemary Clooney •
Louis Armstrong •
Count Basie •
Dean Martin •
Frank Sinatra •
Fred Astaire •
David Bowie •
Sammy Davis Jr.
Website bingcrosby.com
Crosby won an Oscar for Best Actor for his
role as Father Chuck O'Malley in the 1944
motion picture Going My Way and was
nominated for his reprise of the role in The
Bells of St. Mary's opposite Ingrid Bergman
the next year, becoming the first of six
actors to be nominated twice for playing
the same character. In 1963, Crosby
received the first Grammy Global
Achievement Award.[7] He is one of 33
people to have three stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame,[8] in the
categories of motion pictures, radio, and
audio recording.[9] He was also known for
his collaborations with longtime friend Bob
Hope, starring in the Road to... films from
1940 to 1962.
Crosby influenced the development of the

postwar recording industry. After seeing a
demonstration of a German broadcast
quality reel-to-reel tape recorder brought to
America by John T. Mullin, he invested
$50,000 in a California electronics
company called Ampex to build copies. He
then convinced ABC to allow him to tape
his shows. He became the first performer
to pre-record his radio shows and master
his commercial recordings onto magnetic
tape. Through the medium of recording, he
constructed his radio programs with the
same directorial tools and craftsmanship
(editing, retaking, rehearsal, time shifting)
used in motion picture production, a
practice that became an industry
standard.[10] In addition to his work with
early audio tape recording, he helped to
finance the development of videotape,
bought television stations, bred
racehorses, and co-owned the Pittsburgh
Pirates baseball team.
Early life
Crosby age nine
Crosby was born on May 3, 1903[11][12] in

Tacoma, Washington, in a house his father
built at 1112 North J Street.[13] In 1906, his
family moved to Spokane in eastern
Washington state, where he was raised.[14]
In 1913, his father built a house at 508 E.
Sharp Avenue.[15] The house sits on the
campus of his alma mater, Gonzaga
University. It functions today as a museum
housing over 200 artifacts from his life
and career, including his Oscar.[16][17]
He was the fourth of seven children:

brothers Laurence Earl (Larry) (1895–
1975), Everett Nathaniel (1896–1966),
Edward John (Ted) (1900–1973), and
George Robert (Bob) (1913–1993); and
two sisters, Catherine Cordelia (1904–
1974) and Mary Rose (1906–1990). His
parents were Harry Lowe Crosby[18]
(1870–1950), a bookkeeper, and Catherine
Helen "Kate" (née Harrigan; 1873–1964).
His mother was a second generation Irish-
American.[19][1] His father was of Scottish
and English descent; an ancestor, Simon
Crosby, emigrated from Scotland to New
England in the 1630s during the Puritan
migration to New England.[20][21] Through
another line, also on his father's side,
Crosby is descended from Mayflower
passenger William Brewster (c. 1567 –
April 10, 1644).[1]:24[22] On November 8,
1937, after Lux Radio Theatre's adaptation
of She Loves Me Not, Joan Blondell asked
Crosby how he got his nickname:
Crosby: "Well, I'll tell you, back in the knee-

britches day, when I was a wee little tyke, a
mere broth of a lad, as we say in Spokane,
I used to totter around the streets, with a
gun on each hip, my favorite after school
pastime was a game known as "Cops and
Robbers", I didn't care which side I was on,
when a cop or robber came into view, I
would haul out my trusty six-shooters,
made of wood, and loudly exclaim bing!
bing!, as my luckless victim fell clutching
his side, I would shout bing! bing!, and I
would let him have it again, and then as his
friends came to his rescue, shooting as
they came, I would shout bing! bing! bing!
bing! bing! bing! bing! bing!"
Blondell: "I'm surprised they didn't call you
"Killer" Crosby! Now tell me another story,
Grandpa!
Crosby: "No, so help me, it's the truth, ask
Mister De Mille."
De Mille: "I'll vouch for it, Bing."[23][24][25]
That story was pure whimsy for dramatic

effect and the truth is that a neighbor –
Valentine Hobart – named him "Bingo
from Bingville" after a comic feature in the
local paper called "The Bingville Bugle"
which the young Harry liked. In time, Bingo
got shortened to Bing.[1]
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 him spellbound with ad libbing and
parodies of Hawaiian songs. He later
described Jolson's delivery as "electric."[26]
Crosby graduated from Gonzaga High

School (today's Gonzaga Prep) in 1920
and enrolled at Gonzaga University. He
attended Gonzaga for three years but did
not earn a degree.[27] As a freshman, he
played on the university's baseball
team.[28] The university granted him an
honorary doctorate in 1937.[29] Today,
Gonzaga University houses a large
collection of photographs,
correspondence, and other material
related to Crosby.[30]
Performance career
Early years
In 1923, Crosby was invited to join a new

band composed of high-school students a
few years younger than himself. Al Rinker,
Miles Rinker, James Heaton, Claire
Pritchard and Robert Pritchard, along with
drummer Crosby, formed the
Musicaladers,[3] who performed at dances
both for high-school students and club-
goers. The group performed on Spokane
radio station KHQ, but disbanded after two
years.[1]:92–97[31] Crosby and Al Rinker then
obtained work at the Clemmer Theatre in
Spokane (now known as the Bing 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. Bing 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.[32]
In October 1925, Crosby and his partner Al

Rinker, brother of singer Mildred Bailey,
decided to seek fame in California. They
traveled to Los Angeles where they met
Bailey. She introduced them to her show
business contacts. The Fanchon and
Marco Time Agency hired them for
thirteen weeks for the revue The
Syncopation Idea starting at the Boulevard
Theater in Los Angeles and then on the
Loew's circuit. They each earned $75 a
week. As minor parts of The Syncopation
Idea Crosby and Rinker started to develop
as entertainers. They had a lively style that
was popular with college students. After
The Syncopation Idea closed, they worked
in the Will Morrissey Music Hall Revue.
They honed their skills with Morrissey.
When they got a chance to present an
independent act, they were spotted by the
Paul Whiteman organization. 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.[32]
Hired for $150 a week in 1926, they
debuted with Whiteman on December 6 at
the Tivoli Theatre in 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.[33]
The Rhythm Boys
Success with Whiteman was followed by

disaster when they reached New York.
Whiteman considered letting them go.
However, the addition of pianist and
aspiring songwriter Harry Barris made the
difference, and "The Rhythm Boys" were
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
with Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden,
Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Eddie
Lang, and Hoagy Carmichael. He matured
as a performer and was in demand as a
solo singer.[34]
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 film King of Jazz with
Whiteman, but Crosby's growing
dissatisfaction with Whiteman led to the
Rhythm Boys leaving his organization.
They joined the Gus Arnheim Orchestra,
performing nightly in the Cocoanut Grove
of 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". When Mack Sennett signed
Crosby to a solo recording contract in
1931, a break with the Rhythm Boys
became almost inevitable. Crosby married
Dixie Lee in September 1930. After a
threat of divorce in March 1931, he applied
himself to his career.
Success as a solo singer
Crosby in 1932
On September 2, 1931, Crosby made his

nationwide solo radio debut.[35] Before the
end of the year, he signed with both
Brunswick and CBS Radio. Doing a weekly
15-minute radio broadcast, Crosby
became a hit.[36] "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.[36]
Ten of the top 50 songs of 1931 included

Crosby with others or as a solo act. A
"Battle of the Baritones" with singer Russ
Columbo proved short-lived, replaced with
the slogan "Bing Was King". Crosby played
the lead in a series of musical comedy
short films for Mack Sennett, signed with
Paramount, and starred in his first full-
length film 1932's The Big Broadcast
(1932), the first of 55 films in which he
received top billing. He would appear in 79
pictures. He signed a contract with Jack
Kapp's new record company, Decca, in late
1934.
His first commercial sponsor on radio was

Cremo Cigars and his fame spread
nationwide. After a long run in New York,
he went back to Hollywood to film The Big
Broadcast. His appearances, records, and
radio work substantially increased his
impact. The success of his first film
brought him a contract with Paramount,
and he began a pattern of making three
films a year. He led his radio show for
Woodbury Soap for two seasons while his
live appearances dwindled. His records
produced hits during the Depression when
sales were down. Audio engineer Steve
Hoffman stated, "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."[37]
His social life was frantic. His first son

Gary was born in 1933 with twin boys
following in 1934. By 1936, he replaced his
former boss, Paul Whiteman, as host of
the weekly NBC radio program Kraft Music
Hall, where he remained for the next ten
years. "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
with Al Jolson and Billy Murray, who had
been obligated to reach the back seats in
New York theaters without the aid of the
microphone. As music critic Henry
Pleasants noted in The 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 epithet "crooner".
Crosby admired Louis Armstrong for his
musical ability, and the trumpet maestro
was a formative influence on Crosby's
singing style. When the two met, they
immediately became friends. In 1936,
Crosby exercised an option in his
Paramount contract to regularly star in an
out-of-house film. Signing an agreement
with Columbia for a single motion picture,
Crosby wanted Armstrong to appear in a
screen adaptation of The Peacock Feather
that eventually became Pennies from
Heaven. Crosby asked Harry 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.[38]
During the Second World War, Crosby

made live appearances before American
troops who had been fighting in the
European 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
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
General Dwight Eisenhower, and Bob
Hope.
The June 18, 1945, issue of Life magazine

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."[39] "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."[39]
"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."[39][40]
"White Christmas"
Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds in Holiday Inn (1942)

The biggest hit song of Crosby's career
was his recording of Irving Berlin's "White
Christmas", which he 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 to CBS Sunday
Morning for their December 25, 2011,
program.) The song then appeared in his
movie Holiday Inn (1942). His record hit
the charts on October 3, 1942, and rose to
No. 1 on October 31, where it stayed for 11
weeks. A holiday perennial, the song was
repeatedly re-released by Decca, charting
another sixteen times. It topped the charts
again in 1945 and a third time in January
1947. The song remains the bestselling
single of all time.[36] According to Guinness
World Records, his recording of "White
Christmas" has sold over 100 million
copies around the world, with at least
50 million sales as singles.[41] His
recording was so popular that he 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. Although the
two versions are similar, the 1947
recording is more familiar today. In 1977,
after Crosby died, the song was re-
released and reached No. 5 in the UK
Singles Chart.[42] Crosby was dismissive of
his role in the song's success, saying "a
jackdaw with a cleft palate could have
sung it successfully."
Motion pictures
Crosby with Bob Hope in Road to Bali (1952)
In the wake of a solid decade of headlining

mainly smash hit musical comedy films in
the 1930s, Crosby starred with Bob Hope
and Dorothy Lamour in seven Road to
musical comedies between 1940 and
1962, cementing Crosby and Hope as an
on-and-off duo, despite never officially
declaring themselves a "team" in the sense
that Laurel and Hardy or Martin and Lewis
(Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis) were
teams. The series consists of Road to
Singapore (1940), Road to Zanzibar (1941),
Road to Morocco (1942), Road to Utopia
(1946), Road to Rio (1947), Road to Bali
(1952), and The 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 film The

Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad,
Crosby provided the narration and song
vocals for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
segment. In 1960, he starred in High Time,
a collegiate comedy with Fabian Forte and
Tuesday Weld that predicted the emerging
gap between him and the new young
generation of musicians and actors who
had begun their careers after WWII. The
following year, Crosby and Hope reunited
for one more Road movie, The Road to
Hong Kong, which teamed them up with
the much younger Joan Collins and Peter
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 movie
without her, and she instead made a
lengthy and elaborate cameo
appearance.[36] Shortly before his death in
1977, he had planned another Road film in
which he, Hope, and Lamour search for the
Fountain of Youth.
He won an Academy Award for Best Actor
for Going My Way in 1944 and was
nominated for the 1945 sequel, The Bells
of St. Mary's. He received critical acclaim
for his performance as an alcoholic
entertainer in The Country Girl and received
his third Academy Award nomination.[43]
Television
Crosby and his family in a Christmas special, 1974

The Fireside Theater (1950) was his first
television production. The series of 26-
minute shows was filmed at Hal Roach
Studios rather than performed live on the
air. The "telefilms" were syndicated to
individual television stations. He was a
frequent guest on the musical variety
shows of the 1950s and 1960s, appearing
literally countless times 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's The Hollywood
Palace as 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 after The Hollywood Palace was
eventually canceled. In the early 1970s, he
made two late appearances on the Flip
Wilson Show, singing duets with the
comedian. His last TV appearance was a
Christmas special taped in London in
September 1977 and aired weeks after his
death.[44] It was on this special that he
recorded a duet of "The Little Drummer
Boy" and "Peace on Earth" with rock star
David Bowie. Their duet was released in
1982 as a single 45-rpm record and
reached No. 3 in the UK singles charts.[42]
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
Guide listed the Crosby-Bowie duet one of
the 25 most memorable musical moments
of 20th-century television.
Bing Crosby Productions, affiliated with

Desilu Studios and later CBS Television
Studios, produced a number of television
series, including Crosby's own
unsuccessful ABC sitcom The Bing Crosby
Show in the 1964–1965 season (with co-
stars Beverly Garland and Frank McHugh).
The company produced two ABC medical
dramas, Ben Casey (1961–1966) and
Breaking Point (1963–1964), the popular
Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971) military
comedy on CBS, as well as the lesser-
known show Slattery's People (1964–
1965).
Singing style and vocal

characteristics
Crosby in a 1930s publicity photo
Crosby was one of the first singers to

exploit the intimacy of the microphone
rather than use the deep, loud vaudeville
style associated with Al Jolson.[45] He was,
by his own definition, a "phraser", a singer
who placed equal emphasis on both the
lyrics and the music.[46] His love for jazz
helped bring the genre to a wider
audience. In the framework of the novelty-
singing style of the Rhythm Boys, he bent
notes and added off-tune phrasing, an
approach that was rooted in jazz. He had
already been introduced to Louis
Armstrong and Bessie Smith before his
first appearance on record. Crosby and
Armstrong remained friends for decades.
They sang "Now You Has Jazz" in the film
High Society (1956).
During the early portion of his solo career

(about 1931–1934), Crosby's emotional,
often pleading style of crooning was
popular. But Jack Kapp, manager of
Brunswick and later Decca, talked him 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 importantly, diversifying his
repertoire into several styles and genres.
Kapp helped Crosby have number one hits
in Christmas music, Hawaiian, and country
music, and top-thirty hits in Irish music,
French music, rhythm and blues, and
ballads.[4][47]
Crosby elaborated on an idea of Al

Jolson's: phrasing, or the art of making a
song's lyric ring true. "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. All that matters
to him is the words, and that's the only
thing that ought to for you, too."[48]
Critic Henry Pleasants wrote:
[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.[49]
Career statistics
White Christmas (1954)

Crosby's was among the most popular and
successful musical acts of the 20th
century. Billboard magazine used different
methodologies during his career. But his
chart success remains impressive: 396
chart singles, including roughly 25 No. 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. He
may have been the best selling recording
artist with up to 1 billion units sold.[50][51]
Statistician Joel Whitburn at Billboard
determined that Crosby was America's
most successful recording act of the
1930s and again in the 1940s.
For fifteen years (1934, 1937, 1940, 1943–

1954), Crosby was among the top top ten
acts in box-office sales, and for five of
those years (1944–1948) he topped the
world.[36] 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 the Academy
Award for Best Actor for his role in Going
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, behind Clark Gable (1,168,300,000)
and John Wayne (1,114,000,000).[52] The
International Motion Picture Almanac lists
him in a tie for second on the All Time
Number One Stars List with Clint
Eastwood, Tom Hanks, and Burt
Reynolds.[53] His most popular film, White
Christmas, grossed $30 million in 1954
($280 million in current value).[54]
He received 23 gold and platinum records,

according to the book Million 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. Universal Music,
owner of Crosby's Decca catalog, has
never requested RIAA certification for any
of his hit singles.
Crosby charted 23 Billboard hits from 47

recorded songs with the Andrews 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 in Road to Rio singing "You Don't
Have to Know the Language", and sang
together on radio throughout the 1940s
and 1950s. They appeared as guests on
each other's shows and on Armed Forces
Radio Service during and after World War
II. The quartet's Top-10 Billboard hits 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?)"
and helped morale of the American
public.[55]
In 1962, Crosby was given the Grammy

Lifetime Achievement Award. He has been
inducted into the halls of fame for both
radio and popular music. In 2007 he was
inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame
and in 2008 the Western Music Hall of
Fame.[56]
Entrepreneurship
Role in early tape recording
During the Golden 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.[57] 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 also reinforced by the
musicians' union and ASCAP, which
wanted to ensure continued work for their
members.) In On 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 saw] an enormous

advantage in prerecording his
radio shows. The scheduling
could now be done at the star's
convenience. He could do four
shows a week, if he chose, and
then take a month off. But the
networks and sponsors were
adamantly opposed. The public
wouldn't stand for 'canned'
radio, the networks argued.
There was something magic for
listeners in the fact that what
they were hearing was being
performed and heard
everywhere, at that precise
instant. Some of the best
moments in comedy came when
a line was blown and the star
had to rely on wit to rescue a
bad situation. Fred Allen, Jack
Benny, Phil Harris, and also
Crosby were masters at this, and
the networks weren't about to
give it up easily.
Crosby's insistence eventually factored

into the further development of magnetic
tape sound recording and the radio
industry's widespread adoption of
it.[58][59][60] He used his clout, both
professional and financial, 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 sponsor Kraft that was
settled out of court. He 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 for The Shadow with Orson
Welles. ABC was formed from the sale of
the NBC Blue Network in 1943 after a
federal antitrust suit 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 by
Philco. 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 (40-cm) lacquer discs that
played ten minutes per side at 33 13 rpm.
With Perry Como and Arthur Godfrey in 1950

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 golf. He did
record his first Philco Radio Time program
in August 1947 so he could enter the
Jasper National Park Invitational Golf
Tournament in September when the radio
season was to start. But golf was not the
most important reason. He wanted better
quality recording, the ability to eliminate
mistakes and the need to perform a
second live show for the West Coast, and
to control the timing of his
performances.[57] Because Bing Crosby
Enterprises produced the show, he could
purchase the best audio equipment and
arrange the microphones his way;
microphone placement had been debated
in studios since the beginning of the
electrical era. He would no longer have to
wear the toupee that CBS and NBC
required for his live audience shows—he
preferred a hat. He could also record short
promotions for his latest investment, the
world's first frozen orange juice, sold under
the brand name Minute Maid. This
investment allowed him to make more
money by finding a loophole where the IRS
couldn't tax him at a 77% rate.
Murdo MacKenzie of Bing Crosby

Enterprises had seen a demonstration of
the German Magnetophon in June 1947—
the same device that Jack Mullin had
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 6.5mm ferric-oxide-
coated tape could record 20 minutes per
reel of high-quality sound. Alexander M.
Poniatoff ordered Ampex, which he
founded in 1944, to manufacture an
improved version of the Magnetophone.
Crosby hired Mullin to start recording his

Philco Radio Time show 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 at Bad Nauheim near Frankfurt
while working for the U.S. Army Signal
Corps. The advantage was editing. As
Crosby 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
Crosby'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 with

the intent to produce more machines.[61] In
1948, the second season of Philco shows
was recorded with the Ampex Model 200A
and Scotch 111 tape from 3M.[57] Mullin
explained how one new broadcasting
technique was 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 started the tape recorder revolution

in America. In his 1950 film Mr. Music, he
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.
He gave one of the first Ampex Model 300
recorders to his friend, guitarist Les Paul,
which led to Paul's invention of multitrack
recording. His organization, the Crosby
Research Foundation, held tape recording
patents and developed equipment and
recording techniques such as the laugh
track that are still in use today.[61]
With Frank Sinatra, Crosby was of the

principal backers for the United Western
Recorders studio complex in Los
Angeles.[62]
Videotape development
Mullin continued to work for Crosby to

develop a videotape recorder (VTR).
Television production was mostly live
television in its early years, but Crosby
wanted the same ability to record that he
had achieved in radio. The Fireside Theater
(1950) sponsored by Procter & 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" were syndicated to 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 by John T. Mullin and Wayne R.
Johnson since 1950, the device aired what
were described as "blurred and indistinct"
images, using a modified Ampex 200 tape
recorder and standard quarter-inch
(6.3 mm) audio tape moving at 360 inches
(9.1 m) per second.[63]
TV station ownership
A Crosby-led group purchased station

KCOP-TV, in Los Angeles, California, in
1954.[64] NAFI Corporation and Crosby
purchased television station KPTV in
Portland, Oregon, for $4 million on
September 1, 1959.[65] In 1960, NAFI
purchased KCOP from Crosby's group.[64]
In the early 1950s, Crosby helped establish
the CBS television affiliate in his
hometown of Spokane, Washington. He
partnered with Ed Craney, who owned the
CBS radio affiliate KXLY (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.[66]
Thoroughbred horse racing
Crosby was a fan of thoroughbred horse

racing and bought his first racehorse in
1935. In 1937, he became a founding
partner of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
and a member of its board of
directors.[67][68] Operating from the Del Mar
Racetrack at Del Mar, California, the group
included millionaire businessman Charles
S. Howard, who owned a successful racing
stable that included Seabiscuit.[67] Charles'
son, Lindsay C. Howard, became one of
Crosby's closest friends; Crosby named his
son Lindsay after him, and would purchase
his 40-room Hillsborough, California estate
from Lindsay in 1965.
Crosby and Lindsay Howard formed

Binglin Stable to race and breed
thoroughbred horses at a ranch in
Moorpark in Ventura County, California.[67]
They also established the Binglin stock
farm in Argentina, where they raced horses
at Hipódromo de Palermo in Palermo,
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-all match
race won by Charles S. Howard's
Seabiscuit over Binglin's horse Ligaroti.[68]
In 1943, Binglin's horse Don Bingo won the
Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park in
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.[69] The Bing Crosby Breeders'
Cup Handicap at Del Mar Racetrack is
named in his honor.
Sports
Crosby had an interest in sports. In the
1930s, his friend and former college
classmate, Gonzaga head coach Mike
Pecarovich appointed Crosby as an
assistant football coach.[70] From 1946
until his death, he owned a 25% share of
the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although he was
passionate about the team, he was too
nervous to watch the deciding Game 7 of
the 1960 World Series, choosing to go to
Paris with Kathryn and listen to its radio
broadcast. Crosby had arranged for
Ampex, another of his financial
investments, to record the NBC telecast on
kinescope. The game was one of the most
famous in baseball history, capped off by
Bill Mazeroski's walk-off home run. He
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.[71][72] The
restored broadcast was shown on MLB
Network in December 2010.
Crosby was also an avid golfer, and 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. He is a member of the
World Golf Hall of Fame. In 1937, Crosby
hosted the first 'Crosby Clambake' as it
was popularly known, at Rancho Santa Fe
Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California,
the event's location prior to World War II.
Sam Snead won the first tournament, in
which the first place check was for $500.
After the war, the event resumed play in
1947 on golf courses in Pebble Beach,
where it has been played ever since. Now
the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, it has
been a leading event in the world of
professional golf.
Crosby first took up golf at 12 as a caddy,

dropped it, and started again in 1930 with
some fellow cast members in Hollywood
during the filming of The King of Jazz.
Crosby was accomplished at the sport,
with a two handicap. He competed in both
the British and U.S. Amateur
championships, was a five-time club
champion at Lakeside Golf Club in
Hollywood, and once made a hole-in-one
on the 16th at Cypress Point.
Crosby was a keen fisherman especially in

his younger days but it was a pastime that
he enjoyed throughout his life. In the
summer of 1966 he spent a week as the
guest of Lord Egremont, staying in
Cockermouth and fishing on the River
Derwent. His trip was filmed for The
American Sportsman on ABC, although all
did not go well at first as the salmon were
not running. He did make up for it at the
end of the week by catching a number of
sea trout.[73]
Personal life
Crosby's sons from his first marriage. From left: The

four Crosby brothers – Dennis, Gary, Lindsay and
Phillip in 1959.
Bing, Harry and Nathan Crosby (1975)
Crosby was married twice. His first wife

was actress and nightclub singer Dixie Lee
to whom he was married from 1930 until
her death from ovarian cancer in 1952.
They had four sons: Gary, twins Dennis
and Phillip, and Lindsay. The Smash-Up:
The Story of a Woman (1947) is based on
Lee's life. The Crosby family lived at 10500
Camarillo Street in North Hollywood for
over five years.[74] After his wife died,
Crosby had relationships with model Pat
Sheehan (who married his son Dennis in
1958) and actresses Inger Stevens and
Grace Kelly before marrying actress
Kathryn Grant, who converted to
Catholicism, in 1957. They had three
children: Harry Lillis III (who played Bill in
Friday the 13th), Mary (best known for
portraying Kristin Shepard on TV's Dallas),
and Nathaniel (the 1981 U.S. Amateur
champion in golf).[75]
Crosby reportedly had an alcohol problem
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. According to Giddins, Crosby told
his son Gary to stay away from alcohol,
adding, "It killed your mother" and
suggesting he smoke marijuana
instead.[1]:181 Crosby told Barbara Walters
in a 1977 televised interview that he
thought marijuana should be legalized.[76]
After Crosby's death, his eldest son, Gary,

wrote a highly critical memoir, Going My
Own Way, depicting his father as cruel,
cold, remote, and physically and
psychologically abusive.[77]
We had to keep a close watch on

our actions ... When one of us
left a sneaker or pair of
underpants lying around, he had
to tie the offending object on a
string and wear it around his
neck until he went off to bed that
night. Dad called it "the Crosby
lavalier". At the time the humor
of the name escaped me ...
"Satchel Ass" or "Bucket Butt" or
"My Fat-assed Kid". That's how
he introduced me to his cronies
when he dragged me along to
the studio or racetrack ... By the
time I was ten or eleven he had
stepped up his campaign by
adding lickings to the regimen.
Each Tuesday afternoon he
weighed me in, and if the scale
read more than it should have,
he ordered me into his office and
had me drop my trousers ... I
dropped my pants, pulled down
my undershorts and bent over.
Then he went at it with the belt
dotted with metal studs he kept
reserved for the occasion. Quite
dispassionately, without the
least display of emotion or loss
of self-control, he whacked away
until he drew the first drop of
blood, and then he stopped. It
normally took between twelve
and fifteen strokes. As they came
down I counted them off one by
one and hoped I would bleed
early ...
When I saw Going My Way I

was as moved as they were by
the character he played. Father
O'Malley handled that gang of
young hooligans in his parish
with such kindness and wisdom
that I thought he was wonderful
too. Instead of coming down
hard on the kids and
withdrawing his affection, he
forgave them their misdeeds,
took them to the ball game and
picture show, taught them how
to sing. By the last reel, the
sheer persistence of his
goodness had transformed even
the worst of them into solid
citizens. Then the lights came on
and the movie was over. All the
way back to the house I thought
about the difference between the
person up there on the screen
and the one I knew at home.[78]
Crosby's younger son Phillip vociferously
disputed his brother Gary's claims about
their father. Around the time Gary made
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."[79] Nevertheless, Phillip did not deny
that Crosby believed in corporal
punishment.[79] In an interview with People,
Phillip stated that "we never got an extra
whack or a cuff we didn't deserve."[79]
During an interview in 1999 by the Globe,
Phillip said:
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.[80]
However, Dennis and Lindsay Crosby

confirmed that their father was physically
abusive. Lindsay added, "I'm glad [Gary]
did it. I hope it clears up a lot of the old lies
and rumors."[79] Unlike Gary, however,
Lindsay said that he preferred to
remember "all the good things I did with
my dad and forget the times that were
rough."[79] Dennis asserted that the book
was "Gary's business" and a result of his
"anger"[79] but would not deny the book's
claims. Bing's younger brother, singer and
jazz bandleader Bob 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."[79] In an interview for
the same article, Gary clarified that Bing
was abusive as a means of administering
punishment: "He was not out to be vicious,
to beat children for his kicks."[79]
Crosby's will established a blind trust in

which none of the sons received an
inheritance until they reached the age of
65.[81]
Lindsay Crosby died in 1989 and Dennis
Crosby died in 1991, both by suicide from
self-inflicted gunshot wounds at ages 51
and 56, respectively. Gary Crosby died in
1995 at the age of 62 of lung cancer and
69-year-old Phillip Crosby died in 2004 of a
heart attack.[82]
Widow Kathryn Crosby dabbled in local

theater productions intermittently and
appeared in television tributes to her late
husband.
Nathaniel Crosby, Crosby's youngest son

from his second marriage, was a high-level
golfer who won the U.S. Amateur at age 19
in 1981, at the time the youngest winner of
that event. Harry Crosby is an investment
banker who occasionally makes singing
appearances.
Denise Crosby, Dennis Crosby's daughter,

is also an actress and is known for her role
as Tasha Yar on Star Trek: The Next
Generation and for the recurring role of the
Romulan Sela after her withdrawal from
the series as a regular cast member. She
also appeared in the film adaptation of
Stephen King's novel Pet Sematary.
In 2006, Crosby's niece through his sister
Mary Rose, Carolyn Schneider, published
the laudatory book Me and Uncle Bing.
There have been disputes between

Crosby's two families beginning 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 the California
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 Appeal reversed, however, 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 as community property
under California law.[83]
Illness and death
Commemorative plaque in the Brighton Centre foyer

Following his recovery from a life-
threatening fungal infection of his right
lung in January 1974, Crosby emerged
from semi-retirement to start a new spate
of albums and concerts. In March 1977,
after videotaping a concert at the
Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena for
CBS to commemorate his 50th anniversary
in show business, and with Bob Hope
looking on, Crosby fell off the stage into an
orchestra pit, rupturing a disc in his back
requiring a month in the hospital. His first
performance after the accident was his
last American concert, on August 16, 1977
(the day singer Elvis Presley died). When
the electric power failed during his
performance, he continued singing without
amplification.
In September, Crosby, his family and singer

Rosemary Clooney began a concert tour of
Britain that included two weeks at the
London Palladium. While in the UK, Crosby
recorded his final album, Seasons, and his
final TV Christmas special with guest
David Bowie on September 11 (which aired
a little over a month after Crosby's death).
His last concert was in the Brighton Centre
on October 10, four days before his death,
with British entertainer Dame Gracie Fields
in attendance. The following day he made
his final appearance in a recording studio
and sang eight songs at the BBC Maida
Vale studios for a radio program, which
also included an interview with Alan
Dell.[84] 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 the
Seasons album jacket.[84]
Crosby's grave at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City,
California (incorrect birth year)
On October 13, 1977, Crosby flew alone to

Spain to play golf and hunt partridge.[85]
On October 14, at the La Moraleja Golf
Course near Madrid, Crosby played 18
holes of golf. His partner was World Cup
champion Manuel Piñero; their opponents
were club president César de Zulueta and
Valentín Barrios.[85] According to Barrios,
Crosby was in good spirits throughout the
day, and was photographed several times
during the round.[85][86] At the ninth hole,
construction workers building a house
nearby recognized him, and when asked
for a song, Crosby sang "Strangers in the
Night".[85] Crosby, who had a 13 handicap,
lost to his partner by one stroke.[85] As
Crosby and his party headed back to the
clubhouse, Crosby said, "That was a great
game of golf, fellas."[85] However his last
words were reportedly, "That was a great
game of golf, fellas" and then "Let's get a
Coke."[87] At about 6:30 pm, Crosby
collapsed about 20 yards from the
clubhouse entrance and died instantly
from a massive heart attack.[85] At the
clubhouse and later in the ambulance,
house physician Dr. Laiseca tried to revive
him, but was unsuccessful. At Reina
Victoria Hospital he was administered the
last rites of the Catholic Church and was
pronounced dead.[85] On October 18,
following a private funeral Mass at St.
Paul's Catholic Church in Westwood,[88]
Crosby was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery
in Culver City, California.[89] A plaque was
placed at the golf course in his memory.
Legacy
One of three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at

6769 Hollywood Blvd.
He is a member of the National

Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame
in the radio division.[90]
The family created an official website[91]

on October 14, 2007, the 30th anniversary
of Crosby's death.
In his autobiography Don't Shoot, It's Only

Me! (1990), Bob Hope wrote, "Dear old
Bing. As we called him, the Economy-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."[92]
Calypso musician Roaring Lion wrote 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 ..."[1]
Bing Crosby Stadium in Front Royal,

Virginia, was named after Crosby in honor
of his fundraising and cash contributions
for its construction from 1948 to 1950.[93]
In 2006, the former Metropolitan Theater

of Performing Arts ('The Met') in Spokane,
Washington was renamed to The Bing
Crosby Theater.[94]
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times

Magazine listed Bing Crosby among
hundreds of artists whose material was
reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal
fire.[95]
Compositions
Crosby wrote or co-wrote lyrics to 22
songs. His composition "At Your
Command" was no. 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 by Duke
Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Thelonious Monk,
Billie Holiday, and Mildred Bailey, among
others. Songs co-written by Crosby
include:
1. "That's Grandma" (1927), with Harry

Barris and James Cavanaugh
2. "From Monday On" (1928), with Harry
Barris and recorded with the Paul
Whiteman Orchestra featuring Bix
Beiderbecke on cornet, no. 14 on US
pop singles charts
3. "What Price Lyrics?" (1928), with
Harry Barris and Matty Malneck
4. "Ev'rything's Agreed Upon" (1930),
with Harry Barris[96]
5. "At Your Command" (1931), with
Harry Barris and Harry Tobias, US, no.
1 (3 weeks)
6. "Believe Me" (1931), with James
Cavanaugh and Frank Weldon[96]
7. "Where the Blue of the Night (Meets
the Gold of the Day)" (1931), with Roy
Turk and Fred Ahlert, US, no. 4; US,
1940 re-recording, no. 27
8. "You Taught Me How to Love" (1931),
with H. C. LeBlang and Don
Herman[96]
9. "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance
with You" (1932), with Victor Young
and Ned Washington, US, no. 5
10. "My Woman" (1932), with Irving
Wallman and Max Wartell
11. "Cutesie Pie" (1932), with Red
Standex and Chummy MacGregor[96]
12. "I Was So Alone, Suddenly You Were
There (1932), with Leigh Harline, Jack
Stern and George Hamilton[96]
13. "Love Me Tonight" (1932), with Victor
Young and Ned Washington, US, no. 4
14. "Waltzing in a Dream" (1932), with
Victor Young and Ned Washington,
US, no.6
15. "You're Just a Beautiful Melody of
Love" (1932), lyrics by Bing Crosby,
music by Babe Goldberg
16. "Where Are You, Girl of My
Dreams?"[97] (1932), written by Bing
Crosby, Irving Bibo, and Paul McVey,
featured in the 1932 Universal film
The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood
17. "I Would If I Could But I Can't" (1933),
with Mitchell Parish and Alan Grey
18. "Where the Turf Meets the Surf"
(1941) with Johnny Burke and James
V. Monaco.
19. "Tenderfoot" (1953) with Bob Bowen
and Perry Botkin, originally issued
using the pseudonym of "Bill Brill" for
Bing Crosby.
20. "Domenica" (1961) with Pietro Garinei
/ Gorni Kramer / Sandro Giovannini
21. "That's What Life is All About" (1975),
with Ken Barnes, Peter Dacre, and Les
Reed, US, AC chart, no. 35; UK, no. 41
22. "Sail Away from Norway" (1977) –
Crosby wrote lyrics to go with a
traditional song.
Grammy Hall of Fame

Four performances by Bing Crosby have
been inducted into the Grammy 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".
Bing Crosby: Grammy Hall of Fame[98]
Year Year
Title Genre Label Notes
Recorded Inducted
"White Traditional Pop With the Ken Darby

1942 Decca 1974
Christmas" (single) Singers
"Swinging on a Traditional Pop With the Williams

1944 Decca 2002
Star" (single) Brothers Quartet
"Pennies from Traditional Pop With the Jimmy Dorsey

1936 Decca 2004
Heaven" (single) Orchestra
"Don't Fence Me Traditional Pop

1944 Decca 1998 With the Andrews Sisters
In" (single)
Filmography
Discography
TV appearances
Radio
15 Minutes with Bing Crosby[99] (1931,
CBS), Unsponsored. 6 nights a week, 15
minutes.
The Cremo Singer (1931–1932, CBS),[100]
6 nights a week, 15 minutes.
15 Minutes with Bing Crosby (1932, CBS),
initially 3 nights a week, then twice a
week, 15 minutes.
Chesterfield Cigarettes Presents Music
that Satisfies[101] (1933, CBS), broadcast
two nights a week, 15 minutes.
Bing Crosby Entertains[102] (1933–1935,
CBS), weekly, 30 minutes.
Kraft Music Hall[103] (1935–1946, NBC),
Thursday nights, 60 minutes until
January 1943, then 30 minutes.
Bing Crosby on Armed Forces Radio in
World War II (1941–1945; World War
II).[104]
Philco Radio Time[105] (1946–1949,
ABC), 30 minutes weekly.
This Is Bing Crosby (The Minute Maid
Show) (1948–1950, CBS), 15 minutes
each weekday morning; Bing as disc
jockey.
The Bing Crosby – Chesterfield Show[106]
(1949–1952, CBS), 30 minutes weekly.
The Bing Crosby Show for General
Electric[107] (1952–1954, CBS), 30
minutes weekly.
The Bing Crosby Show (1954–1956)[108]
(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.
The Ford Road Show Featuring Bing
Crosby[109] (1957–1958, CBS), 5
minutes, 5 days a week.
The Bing Crosby – Rosemary Clooney
Show[110] (1960–1962, CBS), 20
minutes, 5 mornings a week, with
Rosemary Clooney.
RIAA certification
Album RIAA[111]
Merry Christmas (1945) Gold
White Christmas (re-issue
4× Platinum
of album above) (1995)
Bing Sings (1977) 2× Platinum
Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Project Result
Best Actor in a Leading

1945 Academy Awards Going My Way Won
Role

1946 Academy Awards The Bells of St. Mary's Nominated
Role

1955 Academy Awards The Country Girl Nominated
Role
Best Motion Picture

1952 Golden Globes Here Comes the Groom Nominated
Actor
1960 Golden Globes Cecil B. DeMille Award — Won
Golden Laurel Top Male

1958 Laurel Awards — Nominated
Star

Star

1960 Laurel Awards Say One for Me Nominated
Performance

Star
Golden Laurel Special

1962 Laurel Awards — Won
Award
National Board of
1954 Best Actor The Country Girl Won
Review
New York Film Critics

1944 Best Actor Going My Way Won
Circle Awards
1970 Peabody Awards Personal Award — Won
1944 Photoplay Awards Most Popular Male Star — Won

Hollywood Walk of
1960 Radio 6769 Hollywood Blvd. Inducted
Fame
Hollywood Walk of
1960 Recording 6751 Hollywood Blvd. Inducted
Fame
Hollywood Walk of
1960 Motion Picture 1611 Vine Street. Inducted
Fame
See also
Book: Bing Crosby
References
Citations
1. Giddins, Gary (2001). Bing Crosby: A

Pocketful of Dreams (1 ed.). Little,
Brown. pp. 30–31 . ISBN 0-316-88188-
0.
2. "Bing Crosby – Hollywood Star Walk" .
Los Angeles Times.
3. Young, Larry (October 15, 1977). "Bing
Crosby dies of heart attack" .
Spokesman-Review. p. 1.
4. Gilliland 1994, cassette 1, side B.
5. Giddins, Gary (2018). Bing Crosby –
Swinging on a Star – The War Years
1940–1946. New York: Little, Brown &
Co. p. 546. ISBN 978-0-316-88792-2.
6. Hoffman, Dr. Frank. "Crooner" .
Archived from the original on March
11, 2007. Retrieved December 29,
2006.
7. Tapley, Krostopher (December 10,
2015). "Sylvester Stallone Could Join
Exclusive Oscar Company with 'Creed'
Nomination" . Variety. Retrieved
February 29, 2016.
8. "About - Hollywood Star Walk - Los
Angeles Times" .
Projects.latimes.com.
9. "Bing Crosby | Hollywood Walk of
Fame" . Walkoffame.com.
10. "Engineering and Technology History
Wiki" . Ethw.org. Retrieved January 19,
2019.
11. Grudens, 2002, p. 236. "Bing was born
on May 3, 1903. He always believed he
was born on May 2, 1904."
12. Giddins, Gary. "Bing Bio – Bing
Crosby" . Bingcrosby.com. Retrieved
July 5, 2018.
13. Crosby had no birth certificate and his
birth date was unconfirmed until his
childhood Roman Catholic church
released his baptismal record.
14. Blecha, Peter (August 29, 2005).
"Crosby, Bing (1903–1977) and
Mildred Bailey (1907–1951),
Spokane" . Historylink.org. Retrieved
July 5, 2018.
15. Gonzaga History 1980–1989
(September 17, 1986). "Gonzaga
History 1980–1989 – Gonzaga
University" . Gonzaga.edu. Archived
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2010. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
16. "Bing Crosby House Museum" .
Gonzaga.edu. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
17. Bing Crosby and Gonzaga University:
1903–1925. "Bing Crosby and
Gonzaga University: 1903–1925 –
Gonzaga University" . Gonzaga.edu.
Archived from the original on August
9, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
18. Macfarlane, Malcolm (2001). Bing
Crosby – Day by Day. Lanham.
Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 2.
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19. "Bing Crosby ~ Timeline: Bing Crosby's
Life and Career" . American Masters –
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December 3, 2014.
20. Her Heart Can See: The Life and
Hymns of Fanny J. Crosby By Edith L.
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pg. 4
Crosby – Day by Day. Maryland: The
Scarecrow Press. p. 1. ISBN 0-8108-
4145-2.
22. Giddins, Gary (2002). Bing Crosby: A
Pocketful of Dreams, The Early Years
1903–1940. Back Bay Books. p. 24.
23. "She Loves Me Not, starring Bing
Crosby and Nan Grey" . Free-classic-
radio-shows.com. Retrieved July 5,
2018.
24. Brown, Robert (January 29, 2014).
"Times Past Old Time Radio : Lux
Radio Theater" . Times Past Old Time
Radio. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
25. Goldin, J. David (May 3, 2018). "The
Lux Radio Theatre" .
Radiogoldindex.com. Retrieved July 5,
2018.
26. Gilliland 1994, cassette 3, side B.
27. Kershner, Jim (February 21, 2007).
"Gonzaga University" . HistoryLink.org.
Essay 8097. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
28. "Bing Crosby and Gonzaga University:
1903–1925" . Gonzaga University, via
Internet Archive. Archived from the
original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved
November 24, 2015.
29. "Bing Crosby comes home to his
Gonzaga" . Spokane Daily Chronicle.
October 21, 1937. p. 1.
30. Plowman, Stephanie. "LibGuides:
Manuscript Collections: Crosby" .
Researchguides.gonzaga.edu.
Retrieved December 4, 2018.
31. Early KHQ broadcast from the
Davenport Hotel Spokane
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Bingmagazine.co.uk.
33. "Paul Whiteman's Original Rhythm
Boys" . Redhotjazz.com. Retrieved
November 19, 2016.
34. Macfarlane, Malcolm. "Bing Crosby –
Day by Day" . BING magazine.
Retrieved February 18, 2016.
35. "Bing Crosby, Singer" . Radio Hall of
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September 23, 2008. Retrieved
September 2, 2010.
36. Bing Crosby at AllMusic
37. "Bing Crosby- Bing! His Legendary
Years How's the sound? | Steve
Hoffman Music Forums" .
Forums.stevehoffman.tv. Retrieved
November 19, 2016.
38. "Pennies from Heaven (1936)" . Turner
Classic Movies. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
39. Barnett, Lincoln (June 18, 1945). "Bing
Inc" . Stevenlewis.info. Retrieved
July 5, 2018.
40. Time Inc (June 18, 1945). LIFE . Time
Inc. pp. 17–. Retrieved November 19,
2016.
41. Guinness Book of Records 2007.
Guinness. ISBN 978-1-904994-12-1.
42. British Hit Singles & Albums (2005
ed.). Guinness. p. 126. ISBN 1-904994-
00-8.
43. Fisher, James (Spring 2012). "Bing
Crosby: Through the Years, Volumes
One–Nine (1954–56)". ARSC Journal.
43 (1).
44. Pairpoint, Lionel. "The Chronological
Bing Crosby on Television" . BING
magazine. Retrieved February 21,
2016.
45. Bing Crosby: The Unsung King of
Song , The New York Times, Gary
Giddins, January 28, 2001. Retrieved
December 3, 2014.
46. "Bing Crosby (1901?–1977)". Music
Educators Journal (64 ed.) (7): 56–57.
1978.
47. "Jack Kapp – Bing Crosby Internet
Museum" . Stevenlewis.info. Retrieved
November 19, 2016.
48. Friedwald, Will (November 2, 2010). A
Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz
and Pop Singers . Knopf Doubleday.
pp. 116–. ISBN 978-0-307-37989-4.
Retrieved October 3, 2018.
49. Pleasants, Henry (1985). The Great
American Popular Singers . Simon and
Schuster.
50. "Bing Crosby | Bing by the Numbers.
His Amazing Music Records |
American Masters" . PBS. November
25, 2014. Retrieved November 19,
2016.
51. "Bing The Recording Star" . Bing
Crosby. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
Crosby – Day by Day. Lanham,
Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
pp. 670–671. ISBN 0-8108-4145-2.
53. "Top Ten Money Making Stars of the
past 79 years" . Quigley Publishing.
Archived from the original on January
14, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
54. Schmidt, Wayne. "Waynes This and
That" . Waynesthisandthat.com.
Retrieved March 31, 2016.
55. Sforza, John: "Swing It! The Andrews
Sisters Story". University Press of
Kentucky. 2000.
56. "Johnny Bond – WMA Hall of Fame" .
Westernmusic.com. Archived from the
original on September 17, 2012.
57. Careless, James (May 22, 2019). "The
Ever-Evolving Role of Airchecks". Radio
World. Vol. 43 no. 13. p. 18.
58. Hammar, Peter. Jack Mullin: The man
and his Machines. Journal of the
Audio Engineering Society, 37 (6):
490–496, 498, 500, 502, 504, 506, 508,
510, 512; June 1989.
59. An Afternoon with Jack Mullin. NTSC
VHS tape, 1989 AES.
60. "History of Magnetic tape, section:
"Enter Bing Crosby" " . Archived from
the original on June 3, 2004. Retrieved
March 22, 2017.
61. Sterling, C. H., & Kittross, J. M. (1990).
Stay Tuned: A Concise History of
American broadcasting (2nd ed.).
Belmont, California: Wadsworth.
62. Cogan, Jim; Clark, William (2003).
Temples of Sound: Inside the Great
Recording Studios . Chronicle Books.
ISBN 978-0-8118-3394-3. Retrieved
July 4, 2018.
63. "Tape Recording Used by Filmless
'Camera' ", New York Times, November
12, 1951, p. 21. Eric D. Daniel, C. Denis
Mee, and Mark H. Clark (eds.),
Magnetic Recording: The First 100
Years, IEEE Press, 1998, p. 141.
ISBN 0-07-041275-8
64. "KCOP Studio" . Seeing Stars: the
Television Studios. Archived from the
original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved
March 23, 2011.
65. Dunevant, Ronald L. "KPTV Timeline" .
Yesterday's KPTV. Ronald L. Dunevant.
Archived from the original on January
2, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
66. Rehberg, Chuck (December 16, 1977).
"KXLY Celebrates Anniversary" .
Spokane Television History. Spokane
Daily Chronicle. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
67. "Entrepreneur" . Bingcrosby.com.
August 15, 1949. Retrieved
November 19, 2016.
68. "Del Mar Horse Racing History" .
Dmtc.com. September 7, 1970.
Retrieved November 19, 2016.
69. "People, Aug. 3, 1953" . Time. August
3, 1953. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
70. Bing Crosby and Gonzaga University:
1925 – 1951 Archived February 19,
2016, at the Wayback Machine,
Gonzaga University, retrieved June 6,
2011.
71. "Throwback Thursday: Bing Crosby
Took a Swing at Baseball in the
1940s" . The Hollywood Reporter.
72. Sandomir, Richard (September 23,
2010). "In Bing Crosby's Wine Cellar,
Vintage Baseball" . The New York
Times. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
73. "When Bing Crosby came to stay" .
Trout Hotel Web. April 18, 2017.
Retrieved May 13, 2017.
74. 1940 US Census via Ancestry.com
75. "Nathaniel Crosby wins 1981 U.S.
Amateur Championship" . USGA.com.
76. American Masters: Rediscovering Bing
Crosby (2015) | PBS
77. Haller, Scot (March 21, 1983). "The
Sad Ballad of Bing and His Boys –
Child Abuse, Kids & Family Life, Bing
Crosby" . People. Retrieved January 4,
2011.
78. Gary Crosby (March 1983). Going My
Own Way . Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-
385-17055-0.
79. Haller, Scott (March 21, 1983). "The
Sad Ballad of Bing and His Boys" .
People.com. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
80. Grudens, 2002, p. 59.
81. Dunn, Ashley (December 13, 1989).
"Lindsay Crosby Suicide Laid to End of
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82. "Philip Crosby, 69, Son of Bing
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January 20, 2004. Retrieved
November 2, 2008.
83. Crosby v. HLC Properties, Ltd., Second
District, Div. Three, Cal. App., Case No.
B242089, filed January 29, 2014.
84. Barnes, Ken (1980). The Crosby
Years . New York: Saint Martins Press.
pp. 57–60 . ISBN 978-0-312-17663-1.
85. Van Beek, Greg (2001). "Bing Crosby:
The Final Round" . Bingang. Club
Crosby (Summer 2001): 6–10.
Archived from the original on May 12,
2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
86. Thomas, 1977, p. 86–87.
87. Sheridan, Peter (May 6, 2016).
"Nathaniel Crosby: My dad Bing
Crosby was no monster" . Daily
Express. Express Newspapers.
88. Smith, Jim (October 19, 1977).
"Memorial Rites Held for city favorite,
Bing Crosby" . The Spokesman
Review. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
89. Clooney, Rosemary. This for
Remembrance: The Autobiography of
Rosemary Clooney . Playboy Press.
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3.
90. "NAB Hall of Fame" . National
Association of Broadcasters. Archived
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2008. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
91. "The Official Home of Bing Crosby" .
Bingcrosby.com. Retrieved
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92. Hope, Bob (1990). Don't Shoot, It's
Only Me!. Random House Publishers.
93. "Warren County Attractions" .
Retrieved September 8, 2013.
94. "History of the Clemmer Theatre" .
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95. Rosen, Jody (June 25, 2019). "Here
Are Hundreds More Artists Whose
Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG
Fire" . The New York Times. Retrieved
June 28, 2019.
96. Zwisohn, Laurence J. (1978). bing
Crosby – A Lifetime of Music. Los
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97. U.S. Library of Congress. Catalog of
Copyright Entries: Musical
Compositions . Books.google.com.
1932. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
98. "Grammy Hall of Fame Database" .
Archived from the original on July 7,
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99. Pairpoint, Lionel. "And Here's Bing!" .
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111. "RIAA Searchable Database – Crosby,
Bing" . RIAA. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
Sources
Fisher, J. (2012). Bing Crosby: Through the
years, volumes one-nine (1954–56). ARSC
Journal, 43(1), 127–130.
Gilliland, John (1994). Pop Chronicles the
40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s
(audiobook). ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8.
OCLC 31611854 . Crosby interviewed 1971
July 8 .
Grudens, Richard (2002). Bing Crosby:
Crooner of the Century . Celebrity Profiles
Publishing Co. ISBN 1-57579-248-6.
Macfarlane, Malcolm (2001). Bing Crosby:
Day by Day . Scarecrow Press.
Osterholm, J. Roger. Bing Crosby: A Bio-
Bibliography. Greenwood Press, 1994.
Prigozy, R. & Raubicheck, W., ed. Going My
Way: Bing Crosby and American Culture. The
Boydell Press, 2007.
Thomas, Bob (1977). The One and Only Bing .
Grosset & Dunlap. ISBN 0-448-14670-3.
Further reading
Richliano, James (2002). Angels We
Have Heard: The Christmas Song Stories.
Chatham, New York: Star of Bethlehem
Books. ISBN 0-9718810-0-6. Includes a
chapter on Crosby's involvement in the
making of "White Christmas," and an
interview with record producer Ken
Barnes.
Thomas, Nick (2011). Raised by the
Stars: Interviews with 29 Children of
Hollywood Actors. McFarland. ISBN 978-
0-7864-6403-6. Includes an interview
with Crosby's son, Harry, and daughter,
Mary.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Bing Crosby.
Bing Crosby on IMDb

Official website
Bing Crosby at the TCM Movie
Database
BING magazine (a publication of the
ICC)
Bing Crosby at Virtual History
Zoot Radio, free 'Bing Crosby
Broadcasts' old time radio show
downloads, over 360 episodes.
Bing Crosby Show at Outlaws Old Time
Radio Corner
Bravo, Bing - A Tribute to Bing Crosby
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Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (/ˈkrɒzbi/;

Born Harry Lillis Crosby Jr.

Died October 14, 1977

Alma mater Gonzaga University

Occupation Singer - actor -

Home town Spokane, Washington

Spouse(s) Dixie Lee

Children Gary, Dennis, Phillip,

Genres Traditional pop •

Labels Columbia • RCA Victor •

Associated acts The Rhythm Boys •

Crosby inﬂuenced the development of the

Crosby was born on May 3, 1903[11][12] in

He was the fourth of seven children:

Crosby: "Well, I'll tell you, back in the knee-

That story was pure whimsy for dramatic

Crosby graduated from Gonzaga High

In 1923, Crosby was invited to join a new

In October 1925, Crosby and his partner Al

The Rhythm Boys

Success with Whiteman was followed by

Crosby became the star attraction of the

Success as a solo singer

On September 2, 1931, Crosby made his

Ten of the top 50 songs of 1931 included

His ﬁrst commercial sponsor on radio was

His social life was frantic. His ﬁrst son

Crosby's vocal style helped take popular

During the Second World War, Crosby

The June 18, 1945, issue of Life magazine

Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds in Holiday Inn (1942)

In the wake of a solid decade of headlining

In the 1949 Disney animated ﬁlm The

Crosby and his family in a Christmas special, 1974

Bing Crosby Productions, aﬃliated with

Singing style and vocal

Crosby was one of the ﬁrst singers to

During the early portion of his solo career

Crosby elaborated on an idea of Al

Critic Henry Pleasants wrote:

[While] the octave B ﬂat to B ﬂat

White Christmas (1954)

For ﬁfteen years (1934, 1937, 1940, 1943–

He received 23 gold and platinum records,

Crosby charted 23 Billboard hits from 47

In 1962, Crosby was given the Grammy

During the Golden Age of Radio,

[Crosby saw] an enormous

Crosby's insistence eventually factored

The Mutual network, on the other hand,

With Perry Como and Arthur Godfrey in 1950

Murdo MacKenzie of Bing Crosby

Crosby hired Mullin to start recording his

Mullin's 1976 memoir of these early days

In the evening, Crosby did the

Crosby invested US$50,000 in Ampex with

One time Bob Burns, the hillbilly

Crosby started the tape recorder revolution

With Frank Sinatra, Crosby was of the

Mullin continued to work for Crosby to

Crosby continued to ﬁnance the

A Crosby-led group purchased station

Thoroughbred horse racing