|
Imagine if Will Smith was in America's top-rated television series, appearing live on the air 39 weeks a
year. Or if Bruce Springsteen started making two or three movies a year while still recording
and touring. Or if those American Idol
kids could sing.
Combine all of the above, and you get only the equivalent of the
impact Bing Crosby had on American culture in the 20th century. During the
1930s and '40s, Crosby was not only the world's top-selling
recording artist (his version of "White Christmas" alone has sold more than 50 million
copies), but also America’s favorite radio star,
and sold more than a billion movie tickets (not a billion dollars worth; a billion individual
tickets).
Crosby, whose 106th birthday we mark today, had an impact beyond his mere
popularity. Starting with his recordings with Paul Whiteman’s Rhythm Boys in 1926, he set the standard for pop singers. Prior to
Bing's arrival, most singers were reedy tenors
who had little interest in what a lyric meant. But the college-educated Crosby
brought a rich baritone combined with an ability to explore a lyric the public had never heard before. By 1931, he had left
Whiteman's band to work solo -- a virtually unheard-of idea in those days --
and never looked back.
After starring in a few short films,
he signed with Paramount Pictures, where he stayed for the next 25 years, turning out hit
after hit -- even winning an Academy Award for his acting in 1944’s Going My Way. In 1936, he was signed as the host of radio’s Kraft Music Hall, where he remained for the next 10 years.
His free-and-easy
vocal stylings (which were greatly influenced by Al Jolson
and Louis Armstrong, whom he idolized) were major influences on later singers like Frank Sinatra and even Elvis Presley.
And on top of all of this, his pioneering vision in pre-recording
his radio shows on audiotape led to not only the concept of networks not having
to air shows live, but also the mainstream use of audio and
videotape. Remember that the next time you set your DVR!
As Crosby aged and musical tastes changed, his star dimmed some, but never
went completely out. His annual television specials at Christmas were always among the top-rated shows of the
year, and even allowed him to duet with singers
you wouldn’t suspect he’d have liked, but when you consider that Bing was always
one of the hippest guys
in the room, it's not that surprising.
For all his success, Bing's greatest passion was playing golf,
so it's appropriate that he died after playing a round in Madrid on October 14, 1977. Coming back
to the clubhouse, he told his partners, "That was a great game
of golf, fellas," and after suggesting his foursome have a round of Cokes, dropped dead of a
massive heart attack. He's been gone more than 30 years, but his spirit
still hovers over popular music.
Suggested Sites...
|
No comments:
Post a Comment