THE INTERNATION CLUB CROSBY MEETING - NOVEMBER 2026

 

BING CROSBY - THE WAR YEARS

 

BING'S PASSING - 49 YEARS LATER

 Remembering the sad day of Bing's death - October 14, 1977...

BING AND THE SOLDIERS FAR FROM HOME

When Americans think of Bing Crosby, they often think of White Christmas, smooth vocals, and the golden age of radio. But during World War II, Crosby became something more than an entertainer. For thousands of American servicemen stationed far from home, he was a familiar voice that offered comfort, hope, and a reminder of what they were fighting to protect. 

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States mobilized for war. Like millions of other Americans, Crosby wanted to contribute. Although he registered for the draft, his age and family status made active military service unlikely. Instead, government officials and military leaders recognized that he could serve the war effort more effectively through entertainment, fundraising, and morale-building activities.

Crosby's support began almost immediately. In January 1942, responding to a request connected to General Douglas MacArthur's forces in the Philippines, he transmitted his radio program by shortwave to American troops trapped at Corregidor. At a time when military news was grim and uncertainty filled the air, hearing a familiar American voice carried tremendous emotional value for soldiers thousands of miles from home. 

As the war continued, Crosby became one of the most active participants in the Armed Forces Radio Service. He appeared on military radio programs such as Command Performance, Mail Call, and GI Journal, helping deliver entertainment directly to American forces stationed around the world. More than simple variety shows, these broadcasts connected troops with the culture and personalities they remembered from home. 

His influence extended beyond the radio microphone. Crosby joined major war-support efforts, including the Hollywood Victory Caravan, a traveling show featuring some of the biggest names in entertainment. The tour raised substantial funds for military relief organizations while demonstrating Hollywood's commitment to the war effort.

Perhaps Crosby's most meaningful contribution came through his overseas USO tours. He spent approximately 25 weeks entertaining servicemen in Britain, France, and Belgium, often performing under difficult and unpredictable wartime conditions. Unlike a concert in a grand theater, many of these performances took place near military operations, where audiences consisted of men preparing for battle or recovering from its hardships.

One song became especially associated with Crosby and the wartime experience: White Christmas. Although written by Irving Berlin and first recorded by Crosby in 1942, the song carried a deeper meaning during the war years. To civilians, it evoked holiday nostalgia. To soldiers stationed overseas, it represented memories of family gatherings, hometown streets, and peaceful lives interrupted by war. 

During a December 1944 USO tour in Europe, Crosby performed for troops only days before the Battle of the Bulge. Reports from the period describe the emotional impact of hearing White Christmas in front of thousands of soldiers who longed to be home for the holidays. For many in the audience, the song became a powerful reminder of what awaited them when the war finally ended. 

The soldiers never forgot his efforts. At the end of World War II, readers of Yank, the Army's weekly magazine, voted Crosby the individual who had done the most to boost troop morale overseas. The recognition reflected not only his popularity but also the genuine connection he forged with the men and women serving their country. 

Years later, letters exchanged between Crosby and American servicemen revealed just how much his work meant. Many soldiers wrote to thank him for bringing moments of joy during some of the darkest days of the twentieth century. The correspondence showed that his contribution was not measured in military victories or battlefield achievements, but in something equally important: helping people maintain hope.

Today, Bing Crosby's wartime legacy stands as a reminder that service comes in many forms. While others carried rifles, flew bombers, or served aboard ships, Crosby helped sustain morale through music and friendship. His songs crossed oceans, reached foxholes and military camps, and gave countless Americans a brief but precious connection to home. In a world at war, that gift mattered more than words could express...

INTERNATIONAL CLUB CROSBY MEETING - OCTOBER 2026

 

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: BING IN THE RECORDING STUDIO

Bing Crosby was a giant among recording artists. Here are some candid shots of Bing at the recording studio...

with Judy Garland

with Frank Sinatra

with Eddie Condon

BING CROSBY - THE EARLY DECCA YEARS

 Here is part three of an original production I did on the career and life of Bing Crosby...

NEW CD: BING CROSBY - KRAFT MUSIC HALL TIME volume 3

This 2 CD set is a time capsule of Bing's halcyon radio days, drawing together a selection of songs from 1937-1946 that have never appeared on CD. Kraft Music Hall Time Volume 3 is a remarkable 2-CD collection preserving Bing Crosby's celebrated radio broadcasts from Kraft Music Hall between 1937 and 1946. Drawing together performances, introductions, and lighthearted banter that have largely never before appeared on CD, this set offers an authentic snapshot of Crosby at the height of his popularity during the golden age of American radio. Presented in digitally remastered sound, these recordings capture both his effortless vocal style and the relaxed charm that made him one of entertainment's most beloved personalities.

Spanning nearly a decade of broadcasts, the collection features an outstanding selection of standards, popular songs, Hawaiian melodies, patriotic favorites, and romantic ballads, reflecting the extraordinary versatility that defined Crosby's career. Alongside timeless performances of songs including 'Where the Blue of the Night,' 'Sleepy Lagoon,' 'It Might as Well Be Spring,' and 'I Can't Begin to Tell You,' listeners also experience the warmth and spontaneity of the original radio programs through preserved studio exchanges and commentary.

Released by Sepia Records, Kraft Music Hall Time Volume 3 serves as both an invaluable historical archive and an entertaining listening experience, making it an essential addition for Bing Crosby enthusiasts, collectors of vintage radio, and admirers of classic American popular music.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

Hail KMH
Smile, Darn Ya, Smile; Daddy, Dear Old Daddy
Delightful Delirium
To You Sweetheart Aloha
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine
Rendezvous with a Dream
Down Where the Trade Winds Blow
Let's Waltz for Old Time's Sake
Whistle While You Work
I'd Love to Live in Loveland
You're the Only Star in My Blue Heaven
Blow the Smoke Away (Then Your Pipe Goes Out)
The Flat Foot Floogie
Blue Orchids
Naturally
Small Fry
The Moon of Manakoora
Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me
Little Sir Echo
Where Are You?
Ti Pi Tin
Oh! You Crazy Moon
Thanks for Everything
You’re Here You’re There You’re Everywhere
My Little Buckaroo
That Old Feeling
I Simply Adore You
Summer Souvenirs
Two Bouquets
Where the Blue of the Night

Disc 2:
It's Love, Love, Love
When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano
The Woodpecker Song
Sleepy Lagoon
Dream Valley
Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)
Kentucky Babe
Yours
Careless
The Blues
Last Night's Gardenias
Together
Anchors Aweigh/The Marines' Hymn
You Are Too Beautiful
Wait and See
This Heart of Mine
Ridin’ Herd on a Cloud
It Might as Well be Spring
I Used to Love You (But It's all Over Now)
These Things You Left Me
My Heart Tells Me
Two Sleepy People
Dance with a Dolly
Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
I Can't Begin to Tell You
Down By the Ohio
I Know That You Know
We Mustn't Say ‘Goodbye’
Additional Details

A SEASON TO HIS VOICE: BING'S SUMMER SONGS

There’s a certain kind of summer that doesn’t come from a thermometer or a calendar—it arrives on a breeze carrying music. And if you happen to wander into that golden, memory-lit season, chances are you’ll hear Bing Crosby somewhere in the distance, his voice drifting like warm air through an open window.

Bing Crosby wasn’t known as “the voice of summer” the way he was for Christmas, but listen a little closer and you’ll discover that he recorded songs that hold summer just as beautifully—songs that feel like lazy afternoons, porch swings, and the hum of cicadas at dusk.

One of Crosby’s most charming summer recordings is “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening” (1951), a duet with Jane Wyman that earned an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It’s not about blazing sunshine—it’s about what comes after. The song lives in that perfect twilight moment when the heat finally breaks. Crosby’s voice softens as if it, too, has been waiting all day for relief. He sings of plans made when the air turns gentle again—dancing, dreaming, and lingering outside just a little longer than you should. It captures the kind of summer evening where time stretches, where conversations drift, and where even silence feels companionable.

Though its title sounds contradictory, “June in January” plays like a love letter to summer itself—or rather, to the feeling of it. Crosby recorded the song in the mid-1930s, and it quickly became tied to his relaxed, romantic style. The idea is simple: true warmth doesn’t depend on the season. With the right person—or the right memory—it can feel like June even in the dead of winter. In Crosby’s hands, though, the imagery leans unmistakably summery. You can almost see it: soft light, open skies, and a world that feels easy and full of promise.

Crosby also recorded “Summertime,” the haunting lullaby from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. His interpretation is gentler than some, less rooted in blues and more in a dreamy stillness. This version of summer isn’t playful—it’s languid. It’s the kind of day when the air is thick, when movement slows, and when everything feels suspended between sleep and waking. Crosby doesn’t push the song; he lets it float, revealing another face of summer—the quiet, heavy kind that wraps around you like a blanket you didn’t realize you needed.

Even when Crosby wasn’t singing explicitly about the season, his recordings often carried a summer sensibility. His phrasing was unhurried, his tone conversational, as if he were leaning back in a wicker chair rather than performing under hot stage lights. Songs like “Moonlight Becomes You” or “I’ll Be Seeing You” might not mention summer at all, but they feel like it—like evenings spent outdoors, watching the sky change colors while a radio hums softly in the background.

That was Crosby’s gift: he didn’t just interpret songs; he created space inside them—space for memory, for weather, for the listener’s own season to settle in.

Listening to Bing Crosby’s summer songs today feels less like revisiting a time period and more like stepping into a mood—one that hasn’t aged so much as mellowed. His summer isn’t loud or frenetic. There are no crashing waves or blaring horns. Instead, it’s made of small, enduring moments: the first cool breeze after sunset, laughter carried across a yard, and the quiet satisfaction of not needing to be anywhere else.

In a world that often rushes from one season to the next, Crosby’s recordings invite you to linger, to let summer unfold at its own pace, and to remember that sometimes the most meaningful warmth isn’t the one that burns the brightest, but the one that stays with you long after the sun has gone down. And if you listen carefully, you might find that summer—his summer—is still playing...

BING'S HITS: 1931

In the depths of the Great Depression, American households turned to radio and phonographs for escape, reassurance, and a sense of connection. In 1931, no voice offered those comforts more consistently or more successfully than Bing Crosby’s. That year marked the moment Crosby stepped fully into the spotlight as a solo artist and emerged as the most dominant recording star in the country. More than a commercial breakthrough, 1931 reshaped popular music itself, changing how singers performed and how audiences listened.

Crosby entered the year at a critical turning point. Having recently separated himself from constant big-band affiliation, he embraced a style that felt radically different from the booming, theatrical voices popular at the time. Crosby sang gently, conversationally, and intimately, leaning into the microphone rather than overpowering it. Listeners immediately noticed the difference, and record sales followed. By year’s end, Crosby was not just successful—he was ubiquitous, appearing on more of the year’s most popular records than any other artist.

One of the earliest signs of this dominance came with “Out of Nowhere.” Released in the spring of 1931, the ballad became Crosby’s first solo number-one record, rising to the top of the charts as listeners embraced its effortless warmth and emotional restraint. The success of the song proved that Crosby could carry a hit entirely on his own, without the identity or momentum of a famous orchestra behind him. It was a turning point for both his career and the recording industry.

Momentum continued almost immediately with “Just One More Chance,” a tender plea of longing that again reached the top of the charts later that summer. The song’s quiet vulnerability resonated powerfully with audiences struggling through economic uncertainty. Crosby did not dramatize heartbreak; he humanized it, and that distinction helped his records stand out amid a crowded musical landscape.

Perhaps the most revolutionary hit of Crosby’s landmark year was “At Your Command.” The recording was strikingly minimal, featuring only Crosby’s voice accompanied by piano. In an era when lush orchestras were considered essential to commercial success, the song’s climb to number one was nothing short of astonishing. “At Your Command” demonstrated that a singer’s personality and phrasing could matter more than volume or size, cementing Crosby’s role as a pioneer of modern popular singing.

Another major success in 1931 was Crosby’s interpretation of “Dancing in the Dark.” The song showcased a sophisticated elegance that expanded his appeal beyond romantic ballads and further solidified his reputation as a versatile vocalist. By this point, Crosby recordings were not isolated hits but part of a steady, uninterrupted presence on the airwaves.

By the end of the year, Crosby had placed an extraordinary number of recordings among the nation’s best sellers and was officially recognized as the top recording artist of 1931. His achievements were not the result of novelty or a fleeting trend. Instead, they reflected a deeper shift in how popular music connected with listeners. Crosby’s relaxed phrasing, emotional understatement, and technical mastery of the microphone would influence generations of singers who followed, from Frank Sinatra onward.

Looking back, what makes Crosby’s success in 1931 especially remarkable is that it was only the beginning. The year launched a recording career that would span more than four decades, redefine vocal performance, and produce hundreds of hit records. Yet all of that legacy traces back to this pivotal moment, when a calm, unforced voice quietly transformed American popular music and became the soundtrack of a nation searching for reassurance...