A major star for half a century, Bing Crosby enjoyed unprecedented success as a
singer and actor, selling half a billion records in his lifetime. His relaxed,
crooning style dominated the swing era, creating a template for virtually every
male singer who emerged in the post-war, pre-rock'n'roll era. The fourth of
seven children, he adopted "Bing" from The Bingville Bugle, a column in his
local paper and caught the singing bug after watching Al Jolson perform in
Spokane. He played drums in a local band but it was in a duo with Al Rinker that
he caught the eye of the famous bandlea...