Happy Birthday to Bing Crosby, the ‘Voice of America’

Harry Lillis Crosby, known to fame as “Bing” Crosby, was born May 3, 1903, and went on to be one of the biggest stars ever of song, screen, and radio. While most Americans seem to have forgotten his name, his recording of the iconic song “White Christmas” is still the number one selling song of all time by a wide margin, and in his heyday he was in a class all his own. So today we remember the Irish-American Catholic whose charm, singing, and personality won the hearts of generations of his fellow Americans, and gave him the title “Voice of America.” (Listen below!)

Britannica.com says:

“[Bing] became the archetypal crooner of a period when the advent of radio broadcasting and talking pictures and the refinement of sound-recording techniques made the climate ideal for the rise of such a figure. His casual stage manner and mellow, relaxed singing style influenced two generations of pop singers and made him the most successful entertainer of his day.

Crosby acquired the nickname Bing when in elementary school, either from a prank on a teacher or from a love for the comic strip The Bingville Bugle. He came from a musical family and began to sing and to play the drums while studying law at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. After a period spent singing with the Paul Whiteman orchestra in 1927, he appeared in the early sound film King of Jazz (1931). Crosby became a star after getting his own program…by the late 1930s his records were selling millions of copies…[his brother Bob Crosby was a popular musician too.]

Crosby then won an Academy Award for best actor for his portrayal of [Catholic priest] Father O’Malley in the film Going My Way (1944)…He continued to act into the 1970s…he amassed one of the largest fortunes in Hollywood from his earnings as an entertainer and from shrewd investments. By the mid-1970s, 400 million copies of his records had been sold.”

Unfortunately, due to a lying and vicious book published by Bing’s eldest son Gary after his father’s death, Bing’s memory has been severely damaged and he was gradually forgotten due to the portrayal of Bing as a supposedly abusive and horrible father. Gary himself later admitted to his family a good deal of the book was exaggerated and invented at the instigation of his publishers. Half-sister Mary said, “And Gary said to me that the publishers had told him ‘the worse it was the more books would sell’ and he was very clear about why he did it and what he did…And years later he apologised profusely to us but by then the damage was done.” Gary’s brother Phillip also said Gary had exaggerated in his book, and half-brother Harry said he had never been abused by Bing and that his dad was loving and supportive. Phillip “described his father as the greatest dad in the world.”

Bing Crosby should be resurrected and remembered today. He was certainly not a perfect man, and he had his struggles and faults like all of us, but (particularly as he grew older) he was a faithful husband, affectionate father, beloved friend, wonderful singer, practicing Catholic, and talented star.

While many seem to think now that Frank Sinatra was the most popular crooner of the Golden Age of Hollywood, in that time—particularly in the 1940s—there was no one who came close to the popularity of Bing Crosby. He was so iconic that he was nicknamed the “Voice of America,” and when WWII finally ended with the Japanese surrender, one of the Americans is said to have expressed a wish for Bing to be present to make the occasion perfect. Bing was certainly voted the “most admired man alive” by Americans in 1948. I want to share a few of the hits that made Bing so popular and beloved.

“White Christmas,” (most popular song of all time, as Bing sang it in the movie Holiday Inn, with Marjorie Reynolds):

“Moonlight Becomes You” (for years this was Bing’s theme song, he sings it here in Road to Morocco to Dorothy Lamour):

“Ave Maria” (from the movie Going My Way, for which he won the Academy Award):

“Going My Way” (from the movie Going My Way):

“Pennies from Heaven” (a big hit of the 1930s):

“I’ll Be Seeing You” (a WWII song):

“Road to Morocco” (from Bing and Bob Hope’s popular comedy movie of the same name—Bing and Bob were also close friends in real life):

“Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That’s an Irish Lullaby)” (Bing was a proud Irish-American):

“There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Town of Berlin,” with the Andrews Sisters (another WWII song):

“Silent Night” (also one of the highest selling singles of all time):

“God Bless America”:

“Ghost Riders in the Sky” (Bing loved the Old West):

Happy Birthday, Bing Crosby!