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"Bing Crosby's voice was like gold being poured out of a cup."
Louis Armstrong
As the most popular singer and one of the most successful movie stars
of all time, Bing Crosby was totally appealing. His relaxed, likable, "regular
guy next door" charm made it all look easy.
Born Harry Lillis Crosby on May 2, 1904 in Tacoma, Washington, he was
nicknamed "Bing" after the popular comic strip character from "The
Bingville Bugle."
He began his musical career as part of "The Rhythm Boys," who made
their film debut in legendary bandleader Paul Whiteman's "The King of
Jazz" in 1930.
Bing next appeared in a series of two reel comedies produced by Mack
Sennett, often playing an easy-going crooner.
He gained overnight stardom in 1932 through a series of star radio
appearances and a record breaking run on stage at New York's famed
Paramount Theatre.
Bing Crosby starred in Paramount Pictures' "The Big Broadcast of
1932" in which he introduced his theme song, "Where the Blue of the
Night."
In 1940, he made "The Road to Singapore" with Bob Hope and Dorothy
Lamour, the first of seven classic "Road" pictures, one of the most
successful series in the history of motion pictures.
Bing won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Father O'Malley in
"Going My Way" (1944) and was nominated again for "The Bells of
St.Mary's" (1945) and "The Country Girl" (1954).
Fourteen songs that he introduced in his films were nominated for
Oscars, four of which won.
He recorded over 1700 songs, 368 of which made the charts and 42 hit
#1, including his biggest selling singles, "White Christmas" and "Silent
Night."
In late 1948, he began his long-standing affiliation with Minute Maid
Orange Juice and was frequently seen in their commercials with his family.
An avid sportsman, he enjoyed hunting and fishing and was a minority
owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.
His passion for golf was legendary and The Crosby Golf Tournament,
which he founded in 1937, continues to generate millions of dollars for
charities.
A renowned horse racing fan, he founded Del Mar race track.
His first television Christmas special aired in 1957, the second in 1961,
and it became an annual event through 1977.
He remains one of the most successful recording artists of all time with
record sales estimated in the hundreds of millions worldwide.
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