Bing Crosby Audiobook By Gary Giddins cover art

Bing Crosby

The Early Years

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Bing Crosby

By: Gary Giddins
Narrated by: Edward Lewis
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From 1934 to 1954, Bing Crosby utterly dominated American entertainment. Nobody has ever had as many hit records, and Crosby was the number one movie star for five years in a row. The rise of Bing Crosby was the rise of American popular culture itself.

In his commanding biography, the eminent cultural critic Gary Giddins takes us on the remarkable journey that brought a provincial young law student from Spokane, Washington, to the pinnacle of the entertainment world. Giddins chronicles Crosby's rise from college minstrel shows through vaudeville; from Paul Whiteman's orchestra to matchless success in Hollywood; from his courtship of the beautiful and tragic Dixie Lee to his triumphs as the sportsman who created the first celebrity pro-am golf tournament and helped build the Del Mar racetrack.

Written with the critical insight and stylistic mastery readers have come to expect from Giddins, this definitive biography rescues Crosby from mythographers and debunkers alike. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and unprecedented access to numerous archives, Giddins dramatizes the ascension of pop and firmly reclaims Crosby's central role in American cultural history.

©2001 Gary Giddins (P)2001 Blackstone Audiobooks Entertainment & Celebrities Biographies & Memoirs Funny Inspiring

Critic reviews

"Edward Lewis delivers fascinating insights into Crosby's early years by way of Gary Giddin's impeccable research and painstaking interviews. With news reel style delivery and straightforward accounts, Lewis provides little known facts and insights covering Crosby's early childhood, vaudeville days in college, rise to fame in Hollywood, love affairs, love of sports, and contribution to society." (AudioFile)

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Very thorough and interesting! Very enjoyable! Bing Crosby comes out very different than his big screen persona.

A fun trip through show biz .

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If you love Bing Crosby then this is the read/listen for you!
Great narration!

Great Book/listen!

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Good biography. The author analyzes every recording. There is technical talk galore. That’s what fills the 18 hours.

Lot of tech talk

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This was an interesting look into the early life and career of Bing Crosby. Though I enjoyed the in depth information, there was also a lot of technical jargon and such that made some of the sections about his performing/recording years a bit boring. The narrator was effective, though I sometimes found his voice a little too high pitched compared to others I’ve listened to. Still a worthwhile listen for any Crosby fan or anyone interested in the lives and career progression of entertainers from his era.

Great biography, though heavy on the technical info

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The narration was so dry, I finally just had to give up on this! This was a shame, because I really am interested in the story!

Soooo boring... Couldn't get thru it!

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