Bob Crosby

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Count Basie and Bob Crosby, circa 1941.
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb .
78s by Bob Crosby & His Orchestra: "Five Minutes More"

George Robert "Bob" Crosby (born August 23, 1913 in Spokane , Washington / USA ; † March 9, 1993 in La Jolla , California ) was an American singer, actor and band leader in the field of Dixieland jazz and popular music . He was the younger brother of Bing Crosby .

Live and act

Bob Crosby left college early to - following the example of his brother - pursue a career as a singer. From 1932 Bob sang in the Anson Weeks orchestra ; then in 1934 in the orchestra of the Dorsey Brothers , when he was invited by the saxophonist Gil Rodin to give his name to the orchestra founded by this orchestra (made up of dropped members of the orchestra of Ben Pollack ) in 1934 : the Bob Crosby Orchestra , with its combo, the BobCats was one of the best Dixieland - jazz bands of their time. It was actually led by Gil Rodin. Crosby himself was the front man and singer who kept in touch with the audience. Well-known soloists in the band were trumpeter Yank Lawson , clarinetist Matty Matlock (who later followed Irving Fazola ) and saxophonist Eddie Miller . One of the most important musicians in the ensemble was drummer Ray Bauduc ; bassist Bob Haggart acted as arranger and composer , both were also responsible for the orchestra's biggest hit, "Big Noise from Winnetka". In addition to Crosby, the orchestra always had female band singers, such as Kay Weber, Doris Day , Kay Starr and Anita O'Day .

Some film appearances also contributed to her great success; they appeared in the Columbia production Reveille with Beverly and Holiday Inn for Paramount Pictures . Her recordings were made for Decca Records from 1935 to 1942 . Other musicians who played with the orchestra during this phase were Billy Butterfield , Hank D'Amico , Nappy Lamare , Joe Sullivan , Bob Zurke , Jess Stacy and Muggsy Spanier . With numbers like “South Rampart Street Parade” and “ What's New? “, Both of which came from Haggart, they contributed to the revival of New Orleans Jazz at the time.

When several members were called up for military service in World War II (including Crosbys and Rodins), the orchestra disbanded in September 1942. Crosby was a lieutenant in the Special Services Division during the war and was involved in the entertainment of the troops stationed in the Pacific region. After his release in late 1945, Eddie Miller organized a new band; In early 1946 they had a successful engagement at the Hollywood Palladium .

After that, Crosby called the BobCats together on several tours until the 1980s and recorded a number of records for the Capitol , Coral and Dot Records labels . Crosby then reduced his activities as a band leader and focused primarily on appearances on radio and television programs; from 1946 to 1952 he had his own radio show ( Club 15 ) and from 1953 to 1957 a half-hour television program ( The Bob Crosby Show ), which ran initially on CBS and from 1958 on NBC . In the early 1970s he was involved in the Dixieland Revival with annual guest appearances at Disneyland , in which his old band members of the 30s and 40s participated. He enjoyed great popularity in the Midwest in the mid-1970s and toured frequently. Bob Crosby last lived in La Jolla near San Diego and died of cancer in 1993.

Discographic notes

  • Bob Crosby's Bob Cats (Decca, 1954)
  • The Bob Cats Ball (Coral, 1955)
  • Bob Crosby's Bob Cats in Hifi (Coral, 1957)

Filmography

  • Five Pennies (The Five Pennies) (1959)
  • Meet Miss Bobby Socks
  • My Gal Loves Music (1944)
  • The Singing Sheriff (1944)
  • Kansas City Kitty (1944)
  • Pardon My Rhythm (1944)
  • See Here, Private Hargrove (1944)
  • Thousands Cheer (1943)
  • Rookies On Parade (1941)
  • Sis Hopkins (1941)
  • Collegiate (1936)

He also played himself in the following films:

  • Road to Bali (Road to Bali) (1952)
  • Two Tickets to Broadway (1951)
  • Hollywood Goes to Bat (1950)
  • When You're Smiling (1950)
  • Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
  • Reveille with Beverly (1943)
  • Let's Make Music (1941)
  • Rhythm on the Roof (1934)

literature

  • Leo Walker: The Big Band Almanac. Ward Ritchie, Pasadena 1978.
  • George T. Simon: The Big Bands. Foreword by Frank Sinatra. 4th edition. Schirmer, New York and Macmillan, London 1981, pp. 131-139.

Web links

Commons : Bob Crosby  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ According to information from Leo Watson, Ray Conniff and Henry Mancini were also active as arrangers for the Crosby Orchestra.
personal data
SURNAME Crosby, Bob
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Crosby, George Robert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer and actor
DATE OF BIRTH August 23, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Spokane , Washington
DATE OF DEATH March 9, 1993
Place of death La Jolla , California