The Crosby Boys was an American harmony singing group who were popular in nightclubs and on television during the 1950s and 1960s.
They were the four sons of the popular singer Bing Crosby from his first marriage to the singer Dixie Lee.
The boys sang on their father's radio shows and made a record with Bing on September 5, 1950 [1] called "A Crosby Christmas" which charted at number 22 in the Billboard lists in December, 1950. [2] In 1958, the four brothers decided to form a vocal group called The Crosby Brothers. [3] They were featured on the cover of Life on September 15, 1958. An appearance on The Phil Silvers Show on November 14, 1958, followed, and they made their debut as a singing group at Tucson, Arizona, in 1959. Moving on to the Chez Paree, Chicago, in June 1959, they earned a good review from Variety which said "CROSBY BROS. Chez Paree, Chicago. Songs 58 Mins. Bing Crosby’s four sons are launched on the cabaret scene in high style. The frères - Gary, Phillip, Dennis and Lindsay - have a superlative act that is likely to abash those skeptics who surmised the boys would trade merely on the lustrous family name." [4] They continued to perform successfully at locations such as the Sahara in Las Vegas and the El Morocco nightclub in Montreal. However, after one of their performances at El Morocco in December 1959, the boys fought among themselves and Gary Crosby left the group. [5]
Phillip, Dennis, and Lindsay continued without Gary and they were given useful exposure on the Bing Crosby Show seen on ABC-TV on February 29, 1960. Bing took the place of Gary to sing "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" with his sons, who also sang two other songs themselves. [6] They made their first LP for their father's company, Project Records, in April 1960, which was released by MGM Records and was well received. "The Crosby Brothers – Dennis – Philip – Lindsay Crosby (MGM); “Dinah” (Mills*), a hip version of the oldie, makes a promising disk bow for this trio of Bing Crosby offspring. “The Green Grass Grows All Around” (Marfran*) is a bright ensemble of this folk tune. [7] To promote the album, the brothers appeared on the I've Got a Secret show and taught the panel how to lip-sync to "I Can't Give You Anything but Love." [8]
Starting at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas and continuing for the next two years, the three men enjoyed useful success as The Crosby Brothers at venues such as the Chi Chi in Palm Springs, The Venetian room at the Fairmont in San Francisco, and the Latin Quarter in New York. [9] During their stay at the Latin Quarter, they appeared on the What's My Line? TV show on May 14, 1961. [10]
On television, the Crosby Brothers starred on several high-profile shows such as Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (twice), The Ed Sullivan Show (four times) and of course the Bing Crosby Show (twice). [3]
The Crosby Brothers act folded, however, when Lindsay Crosby had a breakdown in July 1962 in Juarez, Mexico. [3] Lindsay had to be hospitalized for some time. Eventually, Phillip decided to embark on a solo career, and he had parts in several films, as well as one of the Ben Casey episodes. [11] He also guest-starred on The Bob Hope Christmas Special on January 17, 1964. Lindsay and Dennis left show business.
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. was an American singer, actor, television producer, television and radio personality and businessman. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a leader in record sales, network radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1926 to 1977. He was one of the first global cultural icons. He made over 70 feature films and recorded more than 1,600 songs.
"Love and Marriage" is a 1955 song with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen. It is published by Barton Music Corporation (ASCAP).
Dennis Michael Crosby was an American singer and occasional actor, the son of singer and actor Bing Crosby and his first wife Dixie Lee, and twin brother of Phillip Crosby. He was the father of Star Trek TNG actress Denise Crosby, and of screenwriter/film producer Gregory Crosby.
Gary Evan Crosby was an American actor and singer. His parents were Bing Crosby, of whom he wrote a highly critical memoir, and the singer and actress Dixie Lee.
"Music! Music! Music! " is a popular song written by Stephen Weiss and Bernie Baum and published in 1950.
"So in Love" is a popular song, written by Cole Porter, from his musical Kiss Me, Kate, which was based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. It was sung in the show by Patricia Morison, reprised by Alfred Drake, and further popularized by Patti Page in 1949.
"Red Sails in the Sunset" is a popular song. Published in 1935, its music was written by Hugh Williams with lyrics by prolific songwriter Jimmy Kennedy. The song was inspired by the "red sails" of Kitty of Coleraine, a yacht Kennedy often saw off the northern coast of Northern Ireland and by his adopted town Portstewart, a seaside resort in County Londonderry.
"Dear Hearts and Gentle People" is a popular song published in 1949 with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Bob Hilliard. The song refers to the singer's hometown, and different versions allude to a range of U.S. states.
Lindsay Harry Crosby was an American actor and singer. He was the youngest of four sons from Bing Crosby's first marriage to Dixie Lee. Lindsay began his career singing alongside his three brothers and his father. He was remembered by his friends for having a laid-back, clever wit like his father.
Phillip Lang Crosby was an American actor and singer. He was one of the four sons of Bing Crosby and Dixie Lee; the others were his older brother Gary, his twin brother Dennis, and his younger brother Lindsay. Phillip began his career singing alongside his three brothers and his father.
Dixie Lee was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She was the first wife of singer Bing Crosby.
"Three Little Words" is a popular song with music by Harry Ruby and lyrics by Bert Kalmar, published in 1930.
"The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" is a popular song composed by Isham Jones with lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song was recorded by Isham Jones' Orchestra on December 21, 1923, at Brunswick Studios in New York City, and published on January 7, 1924. On January 17 in Chicago, Jones recorded another version, with Al Jolson on lead vocals. Both versions made the charts that Spring, with Jolson's peaking at number 2, and Jones' at number 5. Sophie Tucker recorded her version February 1924, released on Okeh 40054.
"Breezin' Along with the Breeze" is a popular song written by Haven Gillespie, Seymour Simons, and Richard Whiting; it was published in 1926. Popular versions in 1926 and 1927 were by Johnny Marvin, Abe Lyman, the Revelers and Hoosier Hot Shots.
"It's Easy to Remember " is a popular song written by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart.
"Love Walked In" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The tune was composed in 1930, but the lyric was not written until 1937, for the movie musical The Goldwyn Follies (1938), where it was sung by Kenny Baker. Hit versions include Sammy Kaye (1938), The Hilltoppers (1953), Ella Fitzgerald (1959), The Flamingos (1959) and Dinah Washington (1960). Artie Shaw recorded the song in the early 1940s.
The Chez Paree was a Chicago nightclub known for its glamorous atmosphere, elaborate dance numbers, and top entertainers. It operated from 1932 until 1960 in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago at 610 N. Fairbanks Court. The club was the epitome of the golden age of entertainment, and it hosted a wide variety of performers, from singers to comedians to vaudeville acts. A "new" Chez Paree opened briefly in the mid-1960s on 400 N. Wabash Avenue and was seen in the film Mickey One with Warren Beatty.
The Williams Brothers featuring Andy Williams were a singing quartet formed in the mid 1930s. They initially entertained on radio stations and later appeared in four musical films in the 1940s. After recording with Bing Crosby led to a nightclub act backing Kay Thompson, they broke up in the early 1950s and went their separate ways. The second generation of Williams Brothers, twins Andrew and David began as teen idols and a musical duo in the 1970s performing extensively on radio, television and in movies and nightclubs.
Duffy's Tavern is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Hal Walker and written by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama. The film stars Ed Gardner, Bing Crosby, Betty Hutton, Paulette Goddard, Alan Ladd, Dorothy Lamour, Eddie Bracken and Brian Donlevy. The film was released on September 28, 1945, by Paramount Pictures.
The Bing Crosby Show for General Electric was a 30-minute variety old-time radio program starring entertainer Bing Crosby. The series ran on CBS radio from 1952 to 1954. The series was sponsored by the General Electric company and was usually recorded in Hollywood, although some shows were recorded in Palm Springs. The last seven shows of the first season were broadcast as though they had come from Paris, France, but they had actually been recorded in the US prior to Crosby's departure for Europe.
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