Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby (1903-1977) was one of the most popular entertainers of the twentieth century. His career began in vaudeville but in 1927 he joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, working as a solo vocalist and as a member of the vocal trio The Rhythm Boys. Whiteman's Orchestra included some of the leading white jazz musicians of the time, notably the legendary cornettist Bix Beiderbecke, violinist Joe Venuti and guitarist Eddie Lang, who was to become his personal accompanist for the first two years of his solo career, until Lang's death in 1932. Bing Crosby is often ranked alongside Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley as one of the three most influential American male pop singers, largely due to the recordings he made between 1928 and 1938. In this period his singing style, greatly influenced by jazz as well as the "crooning" technique made possible by use of microphones on stage and in radio broadcasts, was considered modern in comparison to other forms of pop singing deriving from vaudeville and operetta. For the first generation of youth culture which found expression in recorded music, during the "Jazz Age" and the "Swing Era", Bing was an iconic figure.
Bing Crosby & David Bowie - The Little Drummer Boy Peace On Earth
Bing Crosby & David Bowie - The Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth
In later years, however, Bing Crosby became a Hollywood star with a middle-of-the-road image as an easy-going, golf-playing family man. This image became somewhat tarnished by revelations that he had been a tyrannical and abusive father during his first marriage, making him unpopular among the young - indeed the alternative comedian Craig Ferguson was inspired to take the stage name "Bing Hitler" by these accounts. Yet Crosby retained a large following, mellowed as he grew older, was said to have been a loving grandfather - and even had David Bowie as a guest on a Christmas TV special, singing "Little Drummer Boy" with Bing and family.
Links to Peel[]
Bing Crosby - Just a Gigolo (Casucci), 1931
Just a Gigolo
Bing Crosby recorded one of John Peel's favourite songs, as the DJ recalled when speaking of his childhood in the first programme of the series Peeling Back The Years:
I mean, my brother Frank – Francis as he was in those days – one Christmas bought me an EP, the first EP that I ever owned, which had on one side two tracks by Bing Crosby, including Just A Gigolo, which is still one of my favourite songs, a very moving song. And on the other side, two tracks by Russ Columbo, who threatened to equal Bing Crosby but shot himself.[1]
The song was later included in the 1931 Peelenium. Two later Bing Crosby recordings, in which he shared the billing with the Andrews Sisters, appeared in the listings for 1943 and 1944, while other Crosby tracks were played as Pig's Big 78s.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
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Sessions[]
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Other Shows Played[]
(The list below was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and may be incomplete. Please add further details if known.)
- 22 June 1982: Swinging On A Star
- 01 September 1986: 'Just A Gigolo'
- 25 December 1987: (with David Bowie) 'Little Drummer Boy'
- 02 February 1988: 'Gay Love'
- 24 July 1990: How Lovely Is Christmas (7") Crowley's Milk Company
- 27 July 1999: 'Just A Gigolo' (Peelenium 1931)
- 26 August 1999: (with the Andrews Sisters) 'Pistol Packin' Mama' (Peelenium 1943)
- 01 September 1999: (with the Andrews Sisters), 'Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive' (Peelenium 1944)
- 15 November 2000: I Surrender, Dear (EP - Mr Crosby and Mr Columbo) His Master's Voice
- 16 November 2000 (Radio Eins): I Surrender, Dear (EP - Mr Crosby and Mr Columbo) His Master's Voice
- 22 May 2001: 'Trade Winds' (Columbia) (Pig's Big 78 2001)
- 03 October 2001: 'Trade Winds' (Pig's Big 78 2001)
- 04 June 2002: 'Let's Spend An Evening At Home' (Pig's Big 78 2002)
- 19 November 2002: 'If I Knew Then' (Brunswick) (Pig's Big 78 2002
- August 2003 (FSK): Just A Gigolo
- 02 October 2003: 'What Do I Care, It's Home' (Brunswick) (Pig's Big 78 2003)
Jingle[]
- Crosby's version of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town was used as the basis of a Christmas demo by Cowcube that Peel played, and this in turn was used as the basis of the 'Festive Fifty' jingle that headed Peel's shows of 24 December 2003 and 25 December 2003.