Bing and Bowie

Bing Crosby and David Bowie : Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy

[Purchase]

On November 30, 1977 CBS television viewers witnessed one of the most unlikely duets in music history: between the frail 74 year old crooner Bing Crosby and 30 year old art rocker David Bowie. The taping for Crosby's TV special Bing Crosby's A Merrie Olde Christmas happened September 11, a month before Crosby's death.

Mary Crosby remembered the the meeting of two icons with People Magazine:

“The doors opened and David walked in with his wife,” she told the Associated Press in 2014. “They were both wearing full-length mink coats, they have matching full makeup and their hair was bright red,” she told the summer TV critics’ tour Wednesday. “We were thinking, ‘Oh my God.’ ”

 “They sat at the piano and David was a little nervous,” she continued, but eventually, “Dad realized David was this amazing musician, and David realized Dad was an amazing musician. You could see them both collectively relax and then magic was made.”

40 Year Itch : Top of the Pops

  Here's a rare opportunity to watch an entire episode of Top of the Pops forty years to the day it originally aired. 72 year old Bing Crosby performs. We meet a band we have yet to mention called Smokie. And Sparks gives us the first single off their forthcoming album Indiscreet. Here's a list of the songs played and where they stood in the charts that same week in July.

1. Sweet : Action (UK#17)

2. Typically Tropical : Barbados (UK#2)

3. The Wombles : Superwomble (eventual UK#20)

4. The Bee Gees : Jive Talkin' (UK#11)

5. Sparks : Get in the Swing (UK#46)

6. Linda Lewis  It's in His Kiss (UK#13)

7. Smokie : If You Think You Know How to Love Me (UK#16)

8. Roger Whittaker : The Last Farewell (UK#47)

9 . Linda Carr and the Love Squad : Highwire (UK#50)

10. Bing Crosby : That's What Life Is All About ( eventual UK#41)

11. Pan's People : Hamilton Bohannon's Foot Stompin' Music  (UK#15)

12. Bay City Rollers : Give A Little Love (UK#1) 

All Time Top 10: David Jaymes of Modern Romance

New romantic pin up popsters Modern Romance scored their biggest selling single with "Best Years Of Our Lives" which was released shortly after bass guitarist Jaymes gave this list to Smash Hits Magazine. The list comes courtesy of Brian at Like Punk Never Happened.

Bing Crosby The Hometown Hero

Just consider the numbers:
Bing Crosby scored 38 #1 hits.Even The Beatles only had 24.

He was the #1 Box Office Star from 1944 to 1949, winning the Best Actor Oscar for "Going My Way".
And his song, "White Christmas", is still the most popular record of all time.
50 million copies sold.

The musical journey of Bing Crosby began on Tacoma's J Street on May 3rd, 1903.

At the age of 4 his family moved to Spokane.
But Washington left a lifelong impression.
He said "I like to remember the Pacific Northwest as a land that can put a song in your heart.
You know when I was a kid around Spokane or Tacoma,
the song was usually carried in sort of an off key whistle."

Bing attended Gonzaga University but dropped out to pursue his musical career--first as part of a trio called The Rhythm Boys.

Pop music critic Gene Stout says thanks to amplified mics, Bing popularized a new singing style:
Crooning.

"That was there term that became popular to describe that style of slower more expressive conversational singing style," says Gene. "And he was a pioneer who influenced Frank Sintra, Deam Martin and so many other crooners that followed."

His interest in working with the very best musicians led Bing to becoming a Civil Rights pioneer. He integrated the stage...sharing the spotlight with his friend Louis Armstrong. No small feat in the 1930's.

And Bing apparently shared more than the stage with jazz musicians.
He loved marijuana which he called "Mezz". As late as the 1970's he was suggesting it should be decriminalized.

"He was a bit of a punk in his day", says Gene. "And I think it's sort of interesting that he carried that over years later and actually became an advocate for decriminalization

Even though his career took him all over the world Bing Crosby always loved the Pacific Northwest. He donated his Oscar and many other mementos to Gonzaga and offered this advice to fans:
"If you'd rather swing on a star as I just did or gather moonbeams up in a jar,you can really be better off that you are by hitting the road to the Pacific Northwest.
Oh it's a great way to discover America."

Though an entire generation believes he only sold orange juice and lacked parenting skills Bing was declared "The Most Admired Man Alive" in 1948--ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius the 12th. He died in 1977 at the age of 74.