[51] He was, by his own definition, a "phraser", a singer who placed equal emphasis on both the lyrics and the music. Both Dennis and Lindsay died due to suicide. [108], Crosby's younger son Phillip disputed his brother Gary's claims about their father. Mary Crosby asserts that Bing had deep regret for not being as present of a father for his first four children's life. Also quick to adopt tape recording was his friend Bob Hope. Family Life He married his college sweetheart Ashley. 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. Times have changed, and Spokane has grown, but you can still see a show at the historic theater in Washington . In the early 1970s, he made two late appearances on the Flip Wilson Show, singing duets with the comedian. Crosby was a fan of thoroughbred horse racing and bought his first racehorse in 1935. 3 in the UK singles charts. 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. A holiday perennial, the song was repeatedly re-released by Decca, charting another sixteen times. She was the first wife of singer Bing Crosby . In addition to Claire, they have a son named Carson and two daughters named June and Millie. He received critical acclaim for his performance as an alcoholic entertainer in The Country Girl and received his third Academy Award nomination.[49]. His first marriage was to a shy 20-year-old actress, Wilma Wyatt, whose stage name was "Dixie Lee." Her father and friends generally opposed the marriage to Bing, age 27, on the grounds that he was an irresponsible playboy. Bill Cosby, 84, and his wife Camille Cosby, 77, have had five children during their 58-year marriage. Amateur Championship", "Bing Crosby:Day by Day by Malcolm Macfarlane", "Call Me Lucky, autobiography by Bing Crosby", "Gary Giddins, Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams; The Early Years, 1903-1940", "The Bay Area Connection / Crosby and his family kept a low but friendly profile while living in Hillsborough", "Bing Crosby's Onetime Bay Area Home Hits the Market for $13.75 Million", "The Sad Ballad of Bing and His Boys Child Abuse, Kids & Family Life, Bing Crosby", Son of Crooner Apparently Kills Self, Just Learned He Was Broke, "Steven Crosby interviewed for "Bing: Going My Way"(2003)", "Lindsay Crosby Suicide Laid to End of Inheritance Income", "Bing Crosby, 73, Dies in Madrid At Golf Course", "From the Archives: Bing Crosby Dies at 73 on Golf Course", "Memorial Rites Held for city favorite, Bing Crosby", "RIAA Searchable Database Crosby, Bing", Bing Crosby Sings with Al Jolson, Bob Hope, Dick Haymes and the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby Sings with Judy Garland, Mary Martin, Johnny Mercer, Bing Crosby Sings with Lionel Hampton, Eddie Heywood, Louis Jordan, Bing Crosby Sings the Song Hits from Broadway Shows, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Bing Crosby Sings Songs by George Gershwin, Selections from the Paramount Picture "Just for You", A Christmas Sing with Bing Around the World, Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around, Bing Crosby's Treasury The Songs I Love, Bing Crosby and The Columbus Boychoir Sing Family Christmas Favorites, Bing Crosby's Treasury - The Songs I Love (1968 version), Songs Bing Crosby recorded multiple times, National Board of Review Award for Best Actor, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bing_Crosby&oldid=1141959407, Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe winners, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, United Service Organizations entertainers, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from September 2013, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from February 2022, TCMDb name template using non-numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "From Monday On" (1928), with Harry Barris and recorded with the, "What Price Lyrics?" To get better results, add more information such as Birth Info, . [3][4][5], 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,[6] Perry Como, Dean Martin, Dick Haymes, Elvis Presley, and John Lennon. Bing married twice. Denise Crosby (granddaughter) Dixie Lee (born Wilma Winifred Wyatt; November 4, 1909 - November 1, 1952) was an American actress, dancer, and singer. In 1957 Crosby married actress-starlet Kathryn Grant who was some 30 years younger than him. The Crosby family lived at 10500 Camarillo Street in North Hollywood for more than five years. Bing's children from his second marriage, including daughter and actress Mary Crosby, praised him as a kind and loving father in later life. On Christmas Eve, 1944, somewhere in Europe, presumably during the Battle . His composition "At Your Command" was number 1 for three weeks on the U.S. pop singles chart beginning on August 8, 1931. When Dixie died in 1952, her will provided that her share of the community property be distributed in trust to her sons. Bing Crosby Enterprises gave the world's first demonstration of videotape recording in Los Angeles on November 11, 1951. We had our differences, but we were raised to respect our parents, to do what they said. A landmark piece of Peninsula property is on the sales block with the listing of Bing Crosby's family home in Hillsborough for $13.75 million. I hope it clears up a lot of the old lies and rumors. In time, Bingo got shortened to Bing.[34][35][36]. His trip was filmed for The American Sportsman on ABC, although all did not go well at first as the salmon were not running. [10] 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. 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. In his autobiography Don't Shoot, It's Only Me! Eventually, Crosby became accomplished at the sport, at his best reaching a two handicap. [122] His first performance after the accident was his last American concert, on August 16, 1977, the day Elvis Presley died, at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California. 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. [54], During the early portion of his solo career (about 19311934), Crosby's emotional, often pleading style of crooning was popular. There was something magical for listeners in the fact that what they were hearing was being performed and heard live everywhere, at that precise instant. If we didn't, we got punished. They each earned $75 a week. Mary. His exceptional career took up most of his time and focus. In the over 280 pages of Crosby's FBI files all but one reference to organized crime or gambling dens are content of a few of the many threats that Bing Crosby received throughout his life. But NBC and CBS refused to broadcast prerecorded radio programs. 25 Nov 1933) were married in 1957 and had 3 children.1. Family Explored. (2012). 'He got the first licking, and we got the second.'"[113]. 'I never expected affection from my father so it didn't bother me,' he once told an interviewer.'" When the two met, they became friends. Let's go have a Coca-Cola." [125][126] At the ninth hole, construction workers building a house nearby recognized him, and when asked for a song, Crosby sang "Strangers in the Night". NTSC VHS tape, 1989 AES. [86] From 1946 until his death, he owned a 25% share of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Al and Miles Rinker (brothers of singer Mildred Bailey), James Heaton, Claire Pritchard and Robert Pritchard, along with drummer Crosby, formed the Musicaladers,[5] who performed at dances both for high school students and club-goers. Bing Crosby was one of the most beloved entertainers of the 20th Century with a successful career that spanned over six decades. She confided to me that she desperately wanted to marry Bing Crosby. Widow Kathryn Crosby dabbled in local theater productions intermittently and appeared in television tributes to her late husband. In 1999, the parties settled for approximately $1.5 million. Crosby had separate charting singles every year between 1931 and 1954; the annual re-release of "White Christmas" extended that streak to 1957. 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. However, the document also clearly indicates that at their meetings a third person, on most instances Caulfield's mother, was present. He was the son of bookkeeper Harry Lowe Crosby, and his wife Catherine Helen "Kate" (ne Harrigan).He was the fourth of seven children including brothers Larry, Everett, Ted, and Bob; and two sisters, Catherine and Mary Rose.. 4 Beds. [78] In 1948, the second season of Philco shows was recorded with the Ampex Model 200A and Scotch 111 tape from 3M. 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). I needed something to lift my spirits. In 1923, Crosby was invited to join a new band composed of high-school students a few years younger than himself. Age, Biography and Wiki. We were in the same boat in more ways than one, but I could not tell her so. Crosby had a keen interest in sports. Once affectionately dubbed America's dad, the . [42] His recording of "White Christmas", has sold over 50 million copies around the world. Today they wouldn't seem very off-color, but things were different on radio then. 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. They had four sons: Gary, twins Dennis and Phillip, and Lindsay. Discover Bing Crosby's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. [42] Before the end of the year, he signed[clarification needed] with both Brunswick Records and CBS Radio. Crosby threatened to leave the film and refused to discuss the matter. The success of his first film brought him a contract with Paramount, and he began a pattern of making three films a year. "[45] "In all, 60,000,000 Crosby discs have been marketed since he made his first record in 1931. The Mutual Network, on the other hand, pre-recorded some of its programs as early as 1938 for The Shadow with Orson Welles. They may also be the last. In 1937, Crosby hosted the first 'Crosby Clambake', a pro-am tournament at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, the event's location prior to World War II. [119], Lindsay Crosby died in 1989 at age 51, and Dennis Crosby died in 1991 at age 56, both by suicide from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. 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. His efforts to cure her with the help of specialists failed. Race/Nationality. "Now You Has Jazz" in the film High Society (1956). 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. However, the addition of pianist and aspiring songwriter Harry Barris made the difference, and The Rhythm Boys were born. 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. Crosby credited Kapp for choosing hit songs, working with many other musicians, and most important, diversifying his repertoire into several styles and genres. [74] 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. Around the time Gary published his claims, Phillip stated to the press that "Gary is a whining, bitching crybaby, walking around with a two-by-four on his shoulder and just daring people to nudge it off. 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. 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. Bing Crosby with his four sons Gary, Lindsay, Dennis and Phillip (Image: GETTY) Mary Crosby has disputed her half-brother Gary's claims (Image: GETTY) "And Gary said to me that the publishers. Bing Crosby was married twice. She passed down that love to her first daughter Catherine, who was born on February 7, 1873. But his chart success remains impressive: 396 chart singles, including roughly 41 number 1 hits. There have been disputes between Crosby's two families beginning in the late 1990s. 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. He has been inducted into the halls of fame for both radio and popular music. [47] It has since become a staple of holiday radio and the final popular hit of Crosby's career. Crosby also ensured behind the scenes that Armstrong received equal billing with his white co-stars. "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. His first marriage, to Pat Sheehan, gave him his first three children and only sons: Patrick Anthony, Gregory, and Dennis Jr. American Masters: Rediscovering Bing Crosby (2015) | PBS, I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store), Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day), National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You, I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You, Chesterfield Cigarettes Presents Music that Satisfies, Bing Crosby on Armed Forces Radio in World War II, The Bing Crosby Show for General Electric, White Christmas (re-issue of album above), "MUSIC; Bing Crosby, The Unsung King of Song", "Sylvester Stallone Could Join Exclusive Oscar Company with 'Creed' Nomination", "Engineering and Technology History Wiki", "Crosby, Bing (19031977) and Mildred Bailey (19071951), Spokane", "Gonzaga History 19801989 Gonzaga University", "Bing Crosby and Gonzaga University: 19031925 Gonzaga University", "Bing Crosby ~ Timeline: Bing Crosby's Life and Career", "Bing Crosby and Gonzaga University: 19031925", "LibGuides: Manuscript Collections: Crosby", "She Loves Me Not, starring Bing Crosby and Nan Grey", "Harry Crosby Got Nickname from Cartoon; Started as 'Bingville' and Was Later Shortened to Bing", Early KHQ broadcast from the Davenport Hotel Spokane, "Bing Crosby- Bing! 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. 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.