120 years ago on May 3rd of 1903, Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby Jr. was born in Tacoma, Washington. He would go on to have a prolific career in recording, radio, film, television, and even recording technology. Despite his stature, he wanted to slow down his hectic life, and after the death of his first wife in 1952, he slowly went into semi-retirement. When he got married again, he took it as an opportunity start a new family.
Because of this, Crosby gradually let himself slow down, however this was all to change. Following the Christmas of 1973, Bing started having serious health issues. By New Year’s Eve, Crosby was rushed to a hospital, and it turned out he had a tumor in his lung. Thankfully it wasn’t cancerous, and it was able to be removed, albeit two fifths of his left lung had to be removed. Speculation started on whether he would be able to sing again, but after his recovery he came back fiercely.
After the operation and recovery period, Bing came back with a vengeance. He signed a deal to do a few albums for United Artists, along with recording two TV specials. In 1975 alone he would record 5 albums and an audiobook along with many TV appearances in the United Kingdom to promote his upcoming albums.
Later that year, the realization he had been in show business for 50 years led Bing to get back on the concert stage throughout 1976, something he hadn’t done since the early 1930s. He did numerous shows throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. In 1976 alone Crosby took the stage thirty-five times. Performances from the London Palladium were turned into an album, although he recorded two other albums along with his yearly Christmas special and other various TV appearances.
1977 seemed like a great year for Bing. Concept albums, worldwide tours, and more TV shows were on the horizon. The first show was a televised version of his usual concert to complete the 50th anniversary celebration. After the show had completed, triumph went to tragedy as he fell twenty-five feet off of the stage when taking bows. Thankfully he didn’t suffer any major injury, only breaking a disc in his back. This had put a lot of plans for 1977 on the fence.
However, by August he was feeling well enough to go on the road again. He did his last American concert on the day Elvis Presley died, and went to Norway to do a show for the Red Cross. In September, Bing recorded a concept album, a Christmas TV special with David Bowie, and started another two week stay at the London Palladium. Going into October, the London Palladium performances continued, and he would do one last show on October 10. The next day he would do a photoshoot for his latest album and make his final recordings. Three days later, after winning a game of golf, Bing died from a heart attack at the age of 74, leaving a massive legacy behind him. All of the accomplishments in his last few years alive would be impressive alone, but when you add on the quality of them, it really shows what he could do at this time of his life.
If you found any of this interesting, be sure to check out Crooners’ Chronicles every Monday at 6pm on KRUI 89.7fm, hosted by yours truly.
