Bing Crosby

Crosby was married to actress and nightclub singer Dixie Lee from 1930 until her death from ovarian cancer in 1952. They had four sons, Gary, Dennis, Phillip, and Lindsay. In 1957, he married actress Kathryn Grant, with whom he had two sons, Harry Lillis III and Nathaniel, and a daughter, Mary Frances.

Crosby’s family appeared with him in annual television Christmas specials during the 1970s. His son Gary later published a memoir that accused Crosby of physical and psychological abuse, while his brothers expressed differing views about the allegations and their father’s use of corporal punishment.

Harry Lillis Crosby was raised in Spokane, Washington, after his family moved there from Tacoma. He attended Gonzaga University while studying law, but left before graduating to pursue music. He performed as a singer and drummer with the Musicaladers before forming a vaudeville duo with pianist Al Rinker, the brother of jazz singer Mildred Bailey.

Crosby and Rinker joined Paul Whiteman’s orchestra in 1926. With pianist and songwriter Harry Barris, they became the Rhythm Boys, one of the first successful jazz vocal groups. The group appeared with Whiteman in King of Jazz in 1930, while Crosby’s solos increasingly attracted attention. His solo radio program began in 1931, and his later broadcasts, including NBC’s Kraft Music Hall, made him a national star.

Crosby’s relaxed baritone and conversational phrasing helped establish the style known as crooning. His use of the microphone allowed him to emphasize subtle changes in tone and the meaning of lyrics rather than relying on the powerful projection associated with vaudeville singers. His recordings influenced performers including Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, and many other popular singers.

Crosby introduced Irving Berlin’s "White Christmas" during a Christmas Day radio broadcast in 1941. He recorded the song in 1942, and it became his signature recording and the best-selling single of all time. The song also appeared in Holiday Inn and later provided the title for the 1954 film White Christmas.

His other well-known recordings included "Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)," "Pennies from Heaven," "Swinging on a Star," "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime," and "Don’t Fence Me In." Four of his performances, including "White Christmas" and "Swinging on a Star," were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The U.S. Library of Congress added "White Christmas" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" to the National Recording Registry.

Crosby recorded more than 1,600 songs and had hundreds of charting singles. He received the first Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1962, and his recordings covered traditional pop, jazz, ballads, country, Hawaiian music, Irish songs, and other styles.

Crosby entered film through musical comedies and became a leading Paramount Pictures performer after The Big Broadcast in 1932. His early films included Here Is My Heart, Anything Goes, and Pennies from Heaven. He later demonstrated a more dramatic range as Father Chuck O’Malley in Going My Way (1944), winning the Academy Award for Best Actor.

He reprised Father O’Malley in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), earning another Oscar nomination, and received his final nomination for playing an alcoholic actor in The Country Girl (1954). Other notable films included Holiday Inn, White Christmas, High Society, and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, for which he provided narration and song vocals for the "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" segment.

Crosby’s comic partnership with Bob Hope formed the center of seven Road films, beginning with Road to Singapore in 1940 and ending with The Road to Hong Kong in 1962. Dorothy Lamour appeared with them in most of the series, which became one of the most durable comedy franchises of its period.

Crosby played a major role in bringing prerecorded radio to American broadcasting. After disputes with NBC over recording his programs, he moved to ABC and produced prerecorded broadcasts that could be edited before transmission. The approach allowed him to remove mistakes, select the strongest performances, and use timing more flexibly.

In 1947, Crosby invested in Ampex and supported engineer John T. Mullin’s work on high-fidelity magnetic tape recording. His programs helped popularize tape editing, prerecorded laughter, and other techniques that became standard in radio and later television. Crosby also supported the development of videotape, and Bing Crosby Enterprises demonstrated an early videotape recorder in 1951.

Crosby expanded into television with filmed programs, variety specials, and production ventures. He hosted or appeared on programs including The Hollywood Palace and The Bing Crosby Show, and his annual Christmas broadcasts became a family television tradition. His final television special, Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas, included his duet with David Bowie on "Peace on Earth" and "The Little Drummer Boy."

Crosby was an accomplished golfer and helped establish the celebrity pro-am tournament that became the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He also owned a share of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the team won the World Series in 1960 and 1971. His other interests included thoroughbred horse racing, fishing, and baseball.

After completing a concert tour of Britain in 1977, Crosby recorded his final album, Seasons, and made his last television special. He played 18 holes at the La Moraleja Golf Course near Madrid on October 14, 1977, then collapsed near the clubhouse and died of a heart attack. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Crosby received three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures, radio, and recording. His influence extended across popular singing, radio production, film comedy, television variety, and recording technology.