May 2
BA BA BA BOOO DAY
No, it’s not Halloween. It was on this day in Tacoma, Washington, in 1904*, that Harry Lillis Crosby was born; better known to us as Bing.
Bing Crosby went on to sing well over 4,000 songs during his impressive show biz career which spanned not only hit recordings, but movies, radio and TV, too. Crosby’s most successful tune? White Christmas (written by Irving Berlin).
Bandleader Paul Whiteman hired Crosby in 1926, along with singing partner, Al Rinker. With the addition of Harry Barris, the trio became The Rhythm Boys and gained quite a following. After leaving the Whiteman organization in 1930, Crosby sang for a brief while with Gus Arnheim’s band. In 1931, ‘Der Bingle’ recorded I Surrender, Dear. The popularity of that song landed Crosby on CBS radio and an unsurpassed solo career was underway. Over the next 30 years, Crosby’s baritone and easy manner sold more than 300,000,000 records.
The consummate golfer, Crosby was host of the annual Crosby Open held at Pebble Beach, Spyglass and, Cypress Point. With Crosby’s passing in 1977 -- on a golf course near Madrid, Spain -- the tournament changed names to the AT&T/Pebble Beach Open.
Bing was featured in over 60 movies, winning an Academy Award for Going My Way in 1944. Crosby won the Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1962 and has been called the number one recording artist of all time.
Together, we can all croon in his honor: Ba Ba Ba Booo.
*During his lifetime, Bing claimed May 2, 1904 as his birthday. Bing had no birth certificate, and it was only after his death in 1977 that a Tacoma priest disclosed Roman Catholic Church baptismal records that revealed Bing’s actual birthdate as May 3, 1903.
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
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