BING AND 2010

Another year is almost gone - hard to believe. In regards to the Bing Crosby world, it was the busiest year for fans since the sad death of the icon in 1977. First let me start with the bad news of 2010. In January of 2010, the legendary internet resource The Bing Crosby Internet Museum shut down. For the past 14 years, the site was an oasis for die hard and new Bing fans alike. Also in 2010, Redmond Nostalgia closed after years of providing old radio shows to avid listeners. Finally in later 2010 Kathryn Crosby was involved in a serious car accident. Hopefully, she is still on the mend.

On to the happier news, with the closing of The Bing Crosby Internet Museum came the birth of not one but three other interet sites dedicated to keeping the memory of Bing Crosby alive. (This site is among the three). There are links to the sites on this blog. Each site gives a different view or approach to the legacy of Bing Crosby, but all share in a common interest of honoring the greatest entertainer of all time.

Many compact discs and DVDs were issued making it so easy to collect items of Bing that once were so rare. I feel that the best addition to anyone's Bing Crosby collection is the DVD issued by Universal in their "Backlot" series. This time around Universal released some of Bing's rarest movies like: COLLEGE HUMOR, HERE IS MY HEART, MISSISSIPPI, SING YOU SINNERS, and WELCOME STRANGER. Many of those movies collectors had on third and fourth generation old videos, so transferring these rare gems to DVD will help to keep Bing's memory alive for generations to come. Looking back at thirty years of collecting Bing, I am overjoyed at the availability of Bing material out there. However, I can't help to feel a bit sad. It was such a joy in the early days of collecting Bing to find a rare recording at a flea market or an autographed picture at an estate sale. A lot of the fun of collecting Bing Crosby was the hunt for the items. Thankfully, Bing Crosby put out such a wealth of material that the hunt is never really over. Here's to happy hunting in 2011...