Here is another great advertisement Bing did for Minute Maid. This looks to be from the 1950s. It is interesting that they were giving away orange juice too...
THE BING CROSBY NEWS ARCHIVE
This is a one stop place to find news and stories about the greatest singer of all-time, Bing Crosby. From his days with Paul Whiteman to his final performances in 1977, we will examine this remarkable entertainer's life and times!
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Sunday, April 7, 2024
PHOTOS OF THE DAY: BING AND FRANK SINATRA
Here are some wonderful photos of the two blue eyes - Bing and Frank Sinatra. They appeared together many times during their careers...
Sunday, March 31, 2024
BING AND HIS FAITH
In 1916, Bing became an an altar boy for St. Aloysius Church. Every third week, he attended and served mass at 6:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.
One of Bing’s friends asked him if he would like to sing at the church. Bing was hesitant, but ended up singing with the choir, and also doing a solo. Crosby impressed the other boys and many attending the church service.
St. Aloysius and Gonzaga were very important to Crosby. Both institutions played a big role in his upbringing and life. Crosby would later star in a movie that was based on his friendship with one of the priests at Gonzaga.
The Spokane neighborhood where Bing Crosby lived was mainly Catholic and was sometimes referred to as the “Little Vatican,” or the “Holy Land.”
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Friday, March 15, 2024
BING'S DISCOGRAPHY: MARCH 15, 1957
Here is a quick recording session that Bing had 67 years ago!
Date: 3/15/57Location: Los Angeles
Label: CAPITOL (US)
"Man On Fire" film title
Bing Crosby (voc), Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra (orc)
a. 16694-1 Man On Fire(Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster) - 2:54
EMI (UK) (EMI) CD7243 5 2281527 — LEGENDS OF THE 20th CENTURY - BING CROSBY (1999)
b. 16693-1 Seven Nights A Week(Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn) - 2:31
Both titles on:
HARRY LILLIS (UK) CDHLYCD-001 — HARRY LILLIS - STEP TO THE REAR (limited circulation) (1993)
JASMINE (UK) CDJASCD 495 — NELSON RIDDLE - LET'S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE (2008)
March 15, Friday. Records “Man on Fire” and “Seven Nights a Week” for Capitol Records with an orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle. Bing’s record of “Man on Fire” is heard by the producers of the Man on Fire movie and is brought in to be used in the opening titles of the film.
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Monday, February 19, 2024
BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES
The UK magazine The Gramophone reviewed the album saying: "Sadness inevitably surrounds “Beautiful Memories” by the late Bing Crosby, which must be one of the last LPs we will enjoy by this splendid gentleman with fifty years of consummate artistry to his credit, although we are advised of at least one more in the pipeline from Polydor. It is not his best album by any means, but Crosby never made a bad one to my knowledge, and there is much of value and interest in his versions of mostly recent pop ballads such as “A Little Love and Understanding,” “My Resistance Is Low,” “When a Child Is Born,” and “The Woman on Your Arm.” It is certainly a very adequate valedictory souvenir from a singer who has left beautiful memories for a multitude around the world.
1. "Beautiful Memories" Roger Cook, Herbie Flowers 3:46
2. "A Little Love and Understanding" Gilbert Bécaud, Marcel Stellman 3:17
3. "My Resistance Is Low" Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Adamson 2:18
4. "Children" Cyril Ornadel, Hal Shaper 3:52
5. "Déjà Vu (As Tho’ You Never Went Away)" Pete Moore, Ken Barnes 3:12
6. "When a Child Is Born" Ciro Dammicco, Fred Jay 3:22
SIDE TWO:
7. "The More I See You" Harry Warren, Mack Gordon 2:26
8. "What I Did for Love" Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban 3:22
9. "Yours Sincerely" Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart 2:43
10. "We've Only Just Begun" Roger Nichols, Paul Williams 3:55
11. "The Woman on Your Arm" Randy Edelman 3:53
12. "The Only Way to Go" Marvin Hamlisch, Tim Rice 2:56
Sunday, February 4, 2024
THE BELLS OF ST. MARYS AND THE POSTWAR AUDIENCE
Friday, January 19, 2024
BING RUMOR: BING AND PSYCHEDELIC FILMS
BING RUMOR: There is a rumor that Bing was involved in psychedelic films in the 1940s!
In the 1940s, British psychologist Cecil Stokes created Auroratone films, deeply psychedelic short movies meant to be shown at psychiatric institutions to help treat patients suffering from mental disorders, particularly war veterans. In 1942, Stokes was granted US patent #2292172 for the Process and Apparatus for Producing Musical Rhythm in Color. This was the year before Albert Hoffman discovered the hallucinogenic properties of LSD and two decades before psychedelic light shows appeared at rock and avant-garde music performances.
According to Wikipedia, "the patterns were produced by using crystallizing chemicals and polarized light, which were then synchronized to a variety of recorded musical tracks… Bing Crosby was involved with these films due to his being a shareholder in the [Auroratone] foundation and his interest in the rehabilitation of veterans."Friday, January 5, 2024
BING AND HIS LATER CAREER
Because of this, Crosby gradually let himself slow down, however this was all to change. Following the Christmas of 1973, Bing started having serious health issues. By New Year’s Eve, Crosby was rushed to a hospital, and it turned out he had a tumor in his lung. Thankfully it wasn’t cancerous, and it was able to be removed, albeit two fifths of his left lung had to be removed. Speculation started on whether he would be able to sing again, but after his recovery he came back fiercely.
Later that year, the realization he had been in show business for 50 years led Bing to get back on the concert stage throughout 1976, something he hadn’t done since the early 1930s. He did numerous shows throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. In 1976 alone Crosby took the stage thirty-five times. Performances from the London Palladium were turned into an album, although he recorded two other albums along with his yearly Christmas special and other various TV appearances.
However, by August he was feeling well enough to go on the road again. He did his last American concert on the day Elvis Presley died, and went to Norway to do a show for the Red Cross. In September, Bing recorded a concept album, a Christmas TV special with David Bowie, and started another two week stay at the London Palladium. Going into October, the London Palladium performances continued, and he would do one last show on October 10. The next day he would do a photoshoot for his latest album and make his final recordings. Three days later, after winning a game of golf, Bing died from a heart attack at the age of 74, leaving a massive legacy behind him. All of the accomplishments in his last few years alive would be impressive alone, but when you add on the quality of them, it really shows what he could do at this time of his life....