# Bing Crosby
**Bing Crosby** (born Harry Lillis Crosby; May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose relaxed, microphone-oriented baritone reshaped popular singing, and who became a dominant star of recordings, radio, and film across five decades[1](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/bing-crosby) • [2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/). His 1942 recording of [Irving Berlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/irving-berlin)'s "White Christmas" became the best-selling single of all time, and he won the [Academy Award for Best Actor](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-actor) for *Going My Way* (1944)[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/) • [3](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/bing-crosby).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | Harry Lillis Crosby, May 3, 1903, Spokane, Washington; died October 14, 1977[1](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/bing-crosby) |
| Recording career | Began October 18, 1926 with "I've Got the Girl"; ended with "Once In a While" on October 11, 1977, three days before his death; more than 2,000 recordings[4](https://bingcrosby.com/career/) |
| Chart record | Number one position occupied 44 times, for a total of 179 weeks at the top[4](https://bingcrosby.com/career/) |
| Sales | More than half a billion records sold in his lifetime; his recording of "White Christmas" accounted for 50 million alone[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/) • [15](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bing-crosby-records-in-music/3528/) |
| Film | Appeared in 104 films; top Hollywood box-office star from 1944 to 1948; ranked #7 on the Motion Picture Almanac list of highest-grossing stars of all time[4](https://bingcrosby.com/career/) |
| Radio | Solo debut on CBS, September 2, 1931; host of NBC's Kraft Music Hall from 1936; first radio star to embrace recording tape, in 1946[1](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/bing-crosby) |
| Honors | Academy Award for *Going My Way* (1944); nomination for *The Bells of St. Mary's*; inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/) • [1](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/bing-crosby) |
## Early life and the Rhythm Boys
Crosby was born in [Tacoma, Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/tacoma-washington), and the family moved to Spokane when he was six years old[5](https://www.biography.com/musicians/bing-crosby). His nickname came from a comic strip he adored, "The Bingville Bugle": a friend called him "Bingo," later shortened to Bing[6](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bing-crosby-timeline-highlights-from-his-career/3501/). He planned on a law career but dropped out of [Gonzaga University](https://www.edgepedia.org/gonzaga-university) during his senior year to pursue music[7](https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/musicalperformers/bing-crosby/).
In 1925 he left Washington for Los Angeles, where he teamed with singer Al Rinker; pianist Harry Barris joined them to form The Rhythm Boys, the vocal trio that toured with [Paul Whiteman](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-whiteman)'s orchestra, then one of the most famous bandleaders in America, and scored a first hit with "Mississippi Mud"[1](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/bing-crosby) • [6](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bing-crosby-timeline-highlights-from-his-career/3501/). His first three number-one records came as vocalist with the Whiteman orchestra[4](https://bingcrosby.com/career/). He went solo in the early 1930s, recording "I Surrender, Dear," his first solo hit, in January 1931[6](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bing-crosby-timeline-highlights-from-his-career/3501/).
## A new way of singing
Crosby's lasting musical importance rests on how he used the microphone. Performers before him had to project their voices to the back of a music hall; the new microphone technology made that unnecessary, and Crosby was credited as the first to recognize that it allowed a more intimate style[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/). He sang at a conversational level, lowering the voice not so much in pitch as in intensity, in a kind of speech-song[8](https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark%3A/67531/metadc935587/m2/1/high_res_d/1002743266-Lebon.pdf). His low, husky baritone was flattered by the microphone's proximity effect, which boosted low frequencies at close range[9](https://www.elargonauta.com/media/pdf/muestra_97205_01.pdf).
The result changed the profession. With his understated approach and jazz-inspired phrasing, the intimate style later embraced by [Frank Sinatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-sinatra), Perry Como, and countless others started with Crosby[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/). [Tommy Dorsey](https://www.edgepedia.org/tommy-dorsey) once told Sinatra, "There's only one singer you ought to listen to, and his name is Crosby"[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/12/15/voices-of-the-century-looking-back-at-the-legends/4d4d3c39-f7fd-431d-b861-f181afc5043b/). His range of material was wide: jazz, pop, cowboy, Irish, Hawaiian, religious, patriotic, and novelty songs all appear across his catalog[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/12/15/voices-of-the-century-looking-back-at-the-legends/4d4d3c39-f7fd-431d-b861-f181afc5043b/).
## Radio and recording technology
Radio was the primary means by which Crosby's voice reached the public during his peak years[11](https://bingcrosby.com/). After his solo radio debut on CBS in September 1931, he became by 1936 the host of NBC's Kraft Music Hall, a weekly showcase for his casual manner, self-deprecating humor, and relaxed singing[1](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/bing-crosby). His 1935 CBS show is credited with helping the struggling network become a rival to NBC[12](https://time.com/3647091/bing-crosby-christmas/).
**Tape and the pre-recorded show.** In 1946 Crosby became the first radio star to embrace recording tape. When Kraft and NBC resisted pre-recorded shows, he left the Music Hall for ABC Radio and the transcribed *Philco Radio Time*; the show's success ushered in the era of pre-recorded programming[1](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/bing-crosby). He had invested heavily in the development of magnetic recording tape and equipment[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/), and his insistence on recording his broadcasts helped make recorded radio standard[7](https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/musicalperformers/bing-crosby/). He moved to CBS in 1949, starring on various series and the annual *Christmas Sing with Bing*; his final radio show was a daily program with [Rosemary Clooney](https://www.edgepedia.org/rosemary-clooney) that aired until 1962[1](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/bing-crosby).
## Film
Crosby starred in, co-starred in, narrated, or made cameo appearances in 104 films[4](https://bingcrosby.com/career/). From 1944 to 1948 he was the top Hollywood box-office star, and he ranked within the top ten for fifteen years[4](https://bingcrosby.com/career/). He won the Oscar for his leading role as a singing priest in *Going My Way* (1944) and received another nomination the next year for the sequel, *The Bells of St. Mary's*[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/). His pairing with [Bob Hope](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-hope) delighted audiences across seven Road pictures, from *Road to Singapore* (1940) through *Road to Hong Kong* (1962), a series that helped establish the buddy-picture genre[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/) • [7](https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/musicalperformers/bing-crosby/). He handled dramatic material as well, playing an alcoholic has-been in *The Country Girl* (1954)[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/).
## "White Christmas" and the Christmas legacy
Crosby introduced "White Christmas" on his CBS radio show on December 25, 1941; Irving Berlin had written the song for the Crosby–[Fred Astaire](https://www.edgepedia.org/fred-astaire) musical *Holiday Inn*, and the recording was released on July 30, 1942[12](https://time.com/3647091/bing-crosby-christmas/). It became the best-selling single of all time, with his recording estimated at 50 million copies and total sales of all versions approaching 100 million[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/) • [13](https://www.countrylife.co.uk/property/overseas/the-california-mansion-of-one-of-the-greatest-entertainers-of-the-20th-century-is-up-for-sale) • [15](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bing-crosby-records-in-music/3528/). During World War II he entertained troops in Europe, and in a postwar poll U.S. soldiers voted him the person who had done the most to boost G.I. morale[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/).
His Christmas association endured to the end of his life: in 1977, on a Bing Crosby Christmas television special, he recorded "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" as a duet with [David Bowie](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-bowie)[7](https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/musicalperformers/bing-crosby/). Beyond the holiday material, he was widely visible on television into the mid-1970s, including long-running commercials for [Minute Maid](https://www.edgepedia.org/minute-maid) orange juice in the 1960s and 1970s[2](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/) • [4](https://bingcrosby.com/career/).
## Personal life and death
Crosby married actress [Dixie Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/dixie-lee) in September 1930; they had four sons, and she died at the age of 40 of cancer. With his second wife, Kathryn, he had two sons and a daughter[6](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bing-crosby-timeline-highlights-from-his-career/3501/). He was also a part owner of the [Pittsburgh Pirates](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-pirates); during [Bill Mazeroski](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-mazeroski)'s World Series-winning home run in 1960, too nervous to watch, he listened to the game on shortwave from Paris with friends[14](https://apnews.com/article/18831caabd873e4a0c99a014dcffda04).
He died on October 14, 1977, at age 73, after a round of golf on a course near Madrid, Spain[1](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/bing-crosby) • [6](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bing-crosby-timeline-highlights-from-his-career/3501/). His final recording, "Once In a While," had been made three days earlier[4](https://bingcrosby.com/career/).
## References
1. [Bing Crosby, Radio Hall of Fame](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/bing-crosby)
2. [Bing Crosby, Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society](https://www.ranchosantafehistoricalsociety.org/early-residents/bing-crosby/)
3. [Bing Crosby, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/bing-crosby)
4. [Career, Bing Crosby official site](https://bingcrosby.com/career/)
5. [Bing Crosby – Movies, Songs & Death, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/musicians/bing-crosby)
6. [Timeline: Bing Crosby's Life and Career, American Masters, PBS](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bing-crosby-timeline-highlights-from-his-career/3501/)
7. [Bing Crosby, Learn the Legends: Musical Performers of the Early 20th Century, University of Wisconsin](https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/musicalperformers/bing-crosby/)
8. [Rachel L. Lebon, The Development and Evaluation of a Guide to Teach Selected Elements of Commercial Singing (1980), UNT Digital Library](https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark%3A/67531/metadc935587/m2/1/high_res_d/1002743266-Lebon.pdf)
9. [Excerpt on crooning and microphone technique, Elargonauta](https://www.elargonauta.com/media/pdf/muestra_97205_01.pdf)
10. [Voices of the Century: Looking Back at the Legends, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/12/15/voices-of-the-century-looking-back-at-the-legends/4d4d3c39-f7fd-431d-b861-f181afc5043b/)
11. [Bing Crosby official site](https://bingcrosby.com/)
12. [Bing Christmas: 'Tis the Season to Be Crosby, Time](https://time.com/3647091/bing-crosby-christmas/)
13. [The California mansion of one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century is up for sale, Country Life](https://www.countrylife.co.uk/property/overseas/the-california-mansion-of-one-of-the-greatest-entertainers-of-the-20th-century-is-up-for-sale)
14. [Bill Mazeroski obituary, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/18831caabd873e4a0c99a014dcffda04)
15. [Bing Crosby ~ Bing by the Numbers. His Amazing Music Records, American Masters, PBS](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/bing-crosby-records-in-music/3528/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Traditional pop and vocal standards*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license