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Rembering
Bing Crosby
By Tony Adams
Contrary to popular opinion, this year marks
the centennial of one of the greatest entertainers of all
time: Bing Crosby. Although born on May 3rd, 1903, a year
was shaved off his age early in his film career by his brother
Everette (who actually thought he was shaving off two years)
so that Bing might appear younger to movie-goers. Consequently,
most reports list his date of birth as 1904. But ATOMIC
has the inside scoop, and we are proud to pay tribute to
this legendary performer’s 100th birthday while the
mainstream media is playing catch up.
In
an amazing career that spanned decades, Crosby’s
legacy sadly has been reduced to two items of note: either
people think about him only during the holidays for his
timeless rendition of “White Christmas,” or
they want to know if he really beat his kids. That gives
short shrift to an artist who personified the American
Everyman on hundreds of albums, as well as on the radio,
in films, and on television.
Early
in his career, Crosby broke new ground in popular music
by bringing Jazz to the masses in his recordings as a
Rhythm Boy with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra and as
a soloist. He later became the voice millions of Americans
tuned into weekly on the radio during the height of the
Depression, World War II and the post-war American high
life. His future accomplishments as a performer are too
numerous to mention, and he reached heights no other entertainer
has achieved since. This short list — taken from
Gary Giddins’ wonderful biography, Bing Crosby:
A Pocketful of Dreams, The Early Years 1903-1940
— provides just a small taste of his monumental
legacy:
- He
made more studio recordings than any other singer in
history (about 400 more than Frank Sinatra)
- Between
1927 and 1962, Crosby scored 368 charted records under
his own name, plus 28 as vocalist with various bandleaders,
for a total of 396. No one else has come close; compare
Paul Whiteman (220), Frank Sinatra (209), Elvis Presley
(149), Glenn Miller (129), Nat "King" Cole
(118), Louis Armstrong (85), and the Beatles (68)
- He
financed and popularized the development of audio tape,
revolutionizing the recording industry
- He
scored more number one hits than anyone in music history:
38 for Bing, as compared to 24 by the Beatles and 18
by Elvis Presley
All
of this by a guy who was raised with a Jesuit education
by a strict mother and a happy-go-lucky father.
A
celebration of Bing’s birthday was held earlier
in the year in his hometown of Spokane, WA, and there
are plans for a shindig to be held in New York City. With
the confusion surrounding his date of birth, the centennial
celebration will likely last well over a year. The extended
tribute — like the man himself — will be a
blessing to us all.
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