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Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, actor, television producer, and businessman. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a leader in record sales, network radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1926 to 1977. He was one of the first global cultural icons. He made over 70 feature films and recorded more than 1,600 songs.

His early career coincided with recording innovations that allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed, such as Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Dick Haymes, Elvis Presley, and John Lennon. Yank magazine said that he 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 of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII.: 6  In 1948, Music Digest estimated that his recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music in America.

Crosby won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Going My Way (1944) and was nominated for its sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), opposite Ingrid Bergman, becoming the first of six actors to be nominated twice for playing the same character. He was the number one box office attraction for five consecutive years, 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 and Road to Utopia. In 1963, Crosby received the first Grammy Global Achievement Award. He is one of 33 people to have three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the categories of motion pictures, radio, and audio recording. He was also known for his collaborations with his friend Bob Hope, starring in the Road to... films from 1940 to 1962.

Crosby influenced the development of the post World War II recording industry. After seeing a demonstration of a German broadcast quality reel-to-reel tape recorder brought to the United States by John T. Mullin, he invested $50,000 in the California electronics company Ampex to build copies. He then persuaded ABC to allow him to tape his shows. He became the first performer to prerecord his radio shows and master his commercial recordings onto magnetic tape. Crosby has been associated with the Christmas season since Irving Berlin's musical film Holiday Inn, in which he starred and famously sang "White Christmas". Through audio recordings, he 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, he helped finance the development of videotape, bought television stations, bred racehorses, and co-owned the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, during which time the team won two World Series (1960 and 1971).

Birth and Death Data: Born May 3, 1903 (Tacoma), Died October 14, 1977 (Madrid)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926 - 1961

Roles Represented in DAHR: baritone vocal, lyricist, songwriter, speaker, composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 1151 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BVE-37285 10-in. 12/22/1926 Wistful and blue Paul Whiteman Orchestra Orchestra, with male vocal duet vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-37286 10-in. 12/22/1926 Pretty lips Paul Whiteman Orchestra Orchestra, with male vocal duet vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-37764 10-in. 2/10/1927 Shanghai dream man Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal chorus vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-38118 10-in. 2/25/1927 That saxophone waltz Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal chorus vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-38124 10-in. 2/28/1927 Pretty lips Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-38135 10-in. 3/3/1927 I'm coming, Virginia Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal chorus vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-38143 10-in. 3/7/1927 Muddy water Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-38378 10-in. 4/29/1927 Side by side Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-38392 10-in. 5/6/1927 Missouri waltz Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal chorus vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-38394 10-in. 5/9/1927 I'm in love again Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal chorus vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-38779 10-in. 5/24/1927 Magnolia (Mix the lot, what have you got?) Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-39271 10-in. 6/20/1927 Mississippi mud Rhythm Boys Male vocal trio, with piano vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-39272 10-in. 6/20/1927 Sweet L'il Rhythm Boys Male vocal trio, with piano vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-39569 10-in. 8/16/1927 Five-step Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-39575 10-in. 8/19/1927 The Calinda Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal chorus vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-39627 10-in. 7/6/1927 My blue heaven Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal chorus vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-40846 10-in. 11/11/1927 That's Grandma Rhythm Boys Male vocal trio, with piano vocalist, baritone vocal, songwriter  
Victor BVE-40894 10-in. 11/17/1927 Miss Annabelle Lee Rhythm Boys Male vocal trio, with piano vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-40937 10-in. 11/23/1927 Changes Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-40945 10-in. 11/25/1927 Mary (What are you waiting for?) Bing Crosby ; Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-41470 10-in. 1/27/1928 Make believe Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-41607 10-in. 1/11/1928 Ol' Man River Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-41612 10-in. 1/12/1928 From Monday on Rhythm Boys Male vocal trio, with piano vocalist, baritone vocal, lyricist  
Victor BVE-41680 10-in. 2/7/1928 Poor Butterfly Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quintet vocalist, baritone vocal  
Victor BVE-41681 10-in. 2/8/1928 There ain't no sweet man that's worth the salt of my tears Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and chorus vocalist, baritone vocal  
(Results 1-25 of 1151 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Crosby, Bing," accessed March 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101942.

Crosby, Bing. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101942.

"Crosby, Bing." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101942

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