Also quick to adopt tape recording was his friend Bob Hope. They had four sons: Gary, twins Dennis and Phillip, and Lindsay. [83] They also established the Binglin Stock Farm in Argentina, where they raced horses at Hipdromo de Palermo in Palermo, Buenos Aires. I don't think he did anything wrong. (2012). 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". Throughout his career, Crosby often credited Bailey for getting him his first important job in the entertainment business. 15 Minutes with Bing Crosby, his nationwide solo radio debut, began broadcasting on September 2, 1931. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 37 (6): 490496, 498, 500, 502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512; June 1989. NTSC VHS tape, 1989 AES. We'd dub the one that came off best into the final transcription. 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. She, too, was in love with an older married man who was quite as famous as Gary [Cooper]. After a threat of divorce in March 1931, he applied himself to his career. [53] He had already been introduced to Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith before his first appearance on record. Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreamsthe Early Years, 1903-1940. I think it all got a little out of hand. A "Battle of the Baritones" with singer Russ Columbo proved short-lived, replaced with the slogan "Bing Was King". After less than a year in show business, they were attached to one of the biggest names. 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. A Crosby-led group purchased station KCOP-TV, in Los Angeles, California, in 1954. Prigozy, Ruth, and Walter Raubicheck, eds. bing! [2] He made over 70 feature films and recorded more than 1,600 songs. [121], 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. At his death in 1977 at age 73, he left his money in a blind trust, which none of the sons--whose youthful escapades were well . 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! 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. . The 3-acre property at 101 Robin Road was built in . Bing archives. If we didn't, we got punished. Times have changed, and Spokane has grown, but you can still see a show at the historic theater in Washington . The book was I think an attempt of my dad to come to grips with some things in his life. 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. 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. I couldn't believe it when I read the book because it just didn't sound like Gary. [63] The International Motion Picture Almanac lists him in a tie for second-most years at number one on the All Time Number One Stars List with Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, and Burt Reynolds. Before 1958, gold records were awarded by record companies. 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. Actress Patricia Neal (who herself at the time was having an affair with the married Gary Cooper) wrote in her 1988 autobiography As I Am about a trip on a cruise ship to England with actress Joan Caulfield in 1948: She [Joan Caulfield] was a lovely girl and we had some good talks. Crosby became the star attraction of the Rhythm Boys. The two Crosby families gave him countless grandchildren, including another Bing Crosby who was bestowed with his grandfather's name but never fell to the perils of addiction. MADRID, Spain, Oct. 14Bing Crosby, whose crooning voice and relaxed humor entertained millions around the world for half a century, died of a heart attack today after a round of golf outside. It is said that his nickname Bing was derived from "Bingo from Bingville" which a neighborhood kid had taken to calling him. The trial court granted Dixie's trust's claim. They moved in when Gary was only seven, the twins were four . [96], In the most recent Crosby biography, Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star; the War Years, 1940-1946, Gary Giddins published excerpts from an original diary of two sisters, Violet and Mary Barsa, who, as young women, used to stalk Crosby in New York City during December 1945 and January 1946 and who detailed their observations in the diary. Gender. She is the only daughter of famed entertainer Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby and his second wife, retired singer-actress Kathryn Grant. Exact. White Christmas is a 1954 American musical film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. For fifteen years (1934, 1937, 1940, 19431954), Crosby was among the top ten acts in box-office sales, and for five of those years (19441948) he topped the world. Bing had three children from his second marriage. In the early 1970s, he made two late appearances on the Flip Wilson Show, singing duets with the comedian. Bing's first wife, singer, danger Dixie Lee, died of ovarian cancer in 1952 at the age of 42, leaving him a widower with four sons. Throughout that time, the versatile talent could be found on the golf course, in the studio, or acting, joking, singing, and dancing alongside other entertainers like Fred Astaire, Bob Hope, and Rosemary Clooney. 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 is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1978. Crosby continued to finance the development of videotape. Gary Crosby's adopted son, Steven Crosby, said in a 2003 interview: In the early years, I think, like any family you are going to butt heads with your mom, your dad and your brothers and sisters. "[132], 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."[3], 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. Bing Crosby Enterprises gave the world's first demonstration of videotape recording in Los Angeles on November 11, 1951. Crosby credited Kapp for choosing hit songs, working with many other musicians, and most important, diversifying his repertoire into several styles and genres. "[70] His popularity in India led many Hindu singers to imitate and emulate him, notably Kishore Kumar, considered the "Bing Crosby of India". Nathaniel Crosby, Crosby's younger son from his second marriage, is a former high-level golfer who won the U.S. He matured as a performer and was in demand as a solo singer.[40]. Crosby had arranged for Ampex, another of his financial investments, to record the NBC telecast on kinescope. Mary Crosby is an American actress who is well known for her character Kristin Shepard in the television series 'Dallas'. [58], Crosby's was among the most popular and successful musical acts of the 20th century. 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. Bing Crosby is the ultimate Christmas crooner and his defining hit 'White Christmas' is not only an anthem of the festive season, it's also the world's best-. [55][56], Crosby elaborated on an idea of Al Jolson's: phrasing, or the art of making a song's lyric ring true. [8] In 1948, American polls declared him the "most admired man alive", ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII. The success of his first film brought him a contract with Paramount, and he began a pattern of making three films a year. The three children from Bing Crosby's marriage to Kathryn are all alive - Harry, 54, Mary, 53, and Nathaniel, 51. His first was Harry Crosby, born on August 8, 1958. The Crosby Estate was made available for this year's event through the courtesy of Kathryn Crosby, who has lived in the home since 1965, when she and Bing moved in with their family. 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",[114] and with whom Gary stayed friendly after the divorce, stated: I do not know if what's in the book is true but he never said anything to me about whippings. [83][84] 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. Built in 1930, the English country manor sits in the upscale enclave of Hillsborough, CA, about 20 miles . [72], According to Shoshana Klebanoff, Crosby became one of the richest men in the history of show business. He always believed he was born on May 2, 1904. Alexander M. Poniatoff ordered Ampex, which he founded in 1944, to manufacture an improved version of the Magnetophone. After The Syncopation Idea closed, they worked in the Will Morrissey Music Hall Revue. Television production was mostly live television in its early years, but Crosby wanted the same ability to record that he had achieved in radio. [11] In 1963, Crosby received the first Grammy Global Achievement Award. In 1906, his family moved to Spokane in Eastern Washington state, where he was raised. When the electric power failed during his performance, he continued singing without amplification. The scheduling could now be done at the star's convenience. In all the files there is only one single reference to a person associated with the Mafia. The group performed on Spokane radio station KHQ, but disbanded after two years. Exact. His great popularity throughout the continent led other African singers to emulate him, including Masuka, Dolly Rathebe, and Mriam Makeba, known locally as "The Bing Crosby of Africa. Advertisement Trachtenberg satisfied his curiosity after he showed the boys' photos to USC specialists. After graduating from high school at age 15, she . Father, with singer Dixie Lee, of sons Gary Crosby, Phillip Crosby & Dennis Crosby (twins) and Lindsay Crosby. We couldn't use the jokes, but Bill asked us to save the laughs. Crosby was born on May 3, 1903, in Tacoma, Washington, in a house his father built at 1112 North J Street.In 1906, his family moved to Spokane in Eastern Washington state, where he was raised. Primary Wave, founded 15 years ago by former top music executive Lawrence Mestel, is known for owning Kurt Cobain's Nirvana catalog.. Bing Crosby was born Harry Lillis Crosby on 03 May 1903 in Tacoma, Washington. 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. 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. 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 an orchestra pit, rupturing a disc in his back requiring a month-long stay in the hospital. [51] 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. Crosby and Armstrong remained warm acquaintances for decades, occasionally singing together in later years, e.g. 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.[38]. This new sound led to the popular epithet crooner. I can't even turn on the radio around Christmas time without crying anymore. His composition "At Your Command" was number 1 for three weeks on the U.S. pop singles chart beginning on August 8, 1931. A former Bay Area estate of the crooner Bing Crosby has come on the market for $13,750,000. Image Credit: Nbc Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock. [118] They were instead receiving several thousand dollars per month from a trust left in 1952 by their mother, Dixie Lee. Bing Crosby was born Harry Lillis Crosby in Tacoma, Washington, on May 3, 1903. In his autobiography Don't Shoot, It's Only Me! Like his father and grandfather, Dennis Crosby had seven children, too.