Crosby, Bing

Description

Type:  Photograph
Description: (1903-1977) American singer and actor. One of the 1^st multimedia stars, one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. Crosby was a leader in record sales, network radio ratings, and motion picture grosses 1926-77. One of the 1^st global cultural icons, made 70+ feature films and recorded 1,600+ songs.

His intimate singing style influenced many male singers. Yank, The Army Weekly magazine said that Crosby was “the person who had done the most for the morale of overseas servicemen” during WW II. In 1948, American polls declared him the “most admired man alive”.  In 1948, Music Digest estimated that his recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music in North America.

Crosby won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in Going My Way (1944) and was nominated for its sequel, The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), becoming the 1^st of 6 actors to be nominated twice for playing the same character. He was the #1 box office attraction for 5 consecutive years from 1944-48. At his screen apex in 1946, Crosby starred in 3 of the year’s 5 highest-grossing films: The Bells of St. Mary’s, Blue Skies, and Road to Utopia.  In 1963, he received the 1^st Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and is one of 33 people to have 3 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures, radio, and audio recording. He was also known for his collaborations with his friend Bob Hope, starring in the Road to… 1940-62 films. Crosby has been associated with the Christmas season since starring in Irving Berlin’s musical film Holiday Inn and also sang “White Christmas” in the film of the same name.

Crosby influenced development of the post–WW II recording industry. After seeing a demonstration of a German broadcast quality reel-to-reel tape recorder, Crosby invested $50,000 in the California electronics company Ampex to build copies. He then persuaded ABC to allow him to tape his shows and became the 1^st performer to prerecord his radio shows and master his commercial recordings onto magnetic tape. Through audio recordings, Crosby produced his radio programs with the same directorial tools and craftsmanship (editing, retaking, rehearsal, time shifting) used in motion picture production, which became the industry standard. In addition to his work with early audio tape recording, Crosby helped finance development of videotape, bought television stations, bred racehorses, and co-owned the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, during which time the team won 2 World Series (1960 & 1971).

ISP, 8 x 10 b&w head-shot photo, Crosby wearing a golf cap and holding a golf club, inscribed and signed to a young man.

Condition: Very good