Bing Crosby - Artist of the Century?

No way Jose, that honor goes to the Chairman of the Board.

 

I got into Bing after Christmas about 2 years ago. I thought, I really enjoy this - why can't I listen all year round?

So I got a few box sets (which you can find quite inexpensive) and that was that.

For me, there's just a vibe that goes through is music - live or studio - that's so easy, casual and cool. There's also that nearly audible half-grin that makes you feel it's not always so serious.

Then of course, that voice. But that needs no explanation.

I myself find that I prefer 40s Bing and onwards. His early style and phrasing are unappealing to me and that might be due to the material too.

His later years I've also come to enjoy. The guy definitely had feelers out and tried to stay in touch with modern tastes and music. The Seasons album should be an early start for those wanting to get into Bings music...sadly it's his final recording.

Allegedly, Lennon had a jukebox filled with Crosby records - who could blame him? Lennon has also talked about Crosby's influence as well, so not only does he flow through Elvis and Sinatra but also the Fab Four.

And if all that wasn't enough - my young kids dig Der Bingle...and not just the Christmas stuff.

 

Bings one of them for sure

 

And don't forget George Harrison saying that he started to listen to Bing during his "garden period."
Bing & the Beatles

 

I may have posted this before: according to Dean Martin Bing was the King of the Crooners and everyone back then wanted to be Bing...

 

I mean heck even in 1964 Frank Sinatra was still in awe of Bing, "At the event, Rosemary Clooney is asked by Frank Sinatra, who is still awed by Bing, how she can relax with him. “I pretend he isn’t Bing Crosby,” Clooney replied."

Then you have the quote you mention from Dean, "I loved to sing when I was small. I never missed a Bing Crosby picture when I was back home. I loved to hear him sing, as most of us did -- Frank or Perry Como, they'll tell you the truth, and me -- everybody copied Bing. And then, in time, they developed their own style, but it was the man, Bing, he started it all."

 

It was recorded at United Recorders, at least some parts of it were. This was one of the albums Bing did an overdubbing on. It’s unclear whether Bing and Louis actually sang in the same room together to record this or if they recorded separately. Louis went into the recording studio a few days after Bing recorded his parts to play trumpet for the songs. He could’ve done vocals then if he didn’t do the vocals with Bing. It may have said Capitol in the booklet due to Bing eventually selling a good chunk of his Project Records recordings, of which this was one along with the 1962 Christmas album along and some others, to Capitol. That’s why Bing & Satchmo was getting reissued on vinyl by Capitol in different forms over the years.

Crosby and Armstrong were quite a pair, each of their influences bouncing off of each other. Their TV performances together are quite good as well along with the radio ones.

 

The recording of this album is weird. It's a pitiful sound engineering, with poor perception of sound distribution in the studio.​

 

BING
SINATRA
ELVIS
BEATLES

After that I dont know

 

The newly discovered mono mix of it included in the deluxe album is much better. I think the weirdness of the stereo mix is due to a few factors, the stereo mix is purportedly from an LP with the master tapes lost which doesn’t help the sound quality much, and by the sounds of it the original stereo mix was anything to gawk at with distortion, etc. The mono mix removes the chorus which I’m happy about, while also losing much of that perceived distortion.

 

Definitely the top performer of the previous century. The man did more than dominate the music industry; he was huge in radio and film.

When superb singers like Sinatra and Como mention how influential Bing's vocal style was on their career, it's no doubt that his presence was almost glorified. I love Elvis Presley and I'll give him credit for the second half of the century, but Bing's level of exposure is unfathomable and spans far beyond the singer. He wasn't the first huge entertainer (Al Jolson) but he stood in the ring a lot longer than most at the time. The Decca years alone account for nearly 30 years of constant hits and that doesn't factor the Paul Whiteman material or the early solo stuff.

 

That would explain the original stereo mix of El Señor Bing, and not just the Bing & Satchmo MGM release, although I cannot find the engineer of the original El Señor Bing album. It would not surprise in the least if it was Bill Putnam as there was five days apart between the recording of the Señor and Satchmo albums, June 22nd and 23rd for the former and June 28th and 29th for the latter, all 1960. This album could probably use a full in-depth analysis of the sound quality, but I feel like the mono mix would easily come out on top.

 

Bing Crosby also performed Irish standards beautifully. The recordings from radio shows are amazing.

 

Well, in the US maybe. But 95% of the world isn't the US and his influence in other countries is rather minimal.
So, I guess that, no, he cannot be considered "the greatest artist of the century".
A case could also be made for Umm Kulthum, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Miriam Makeba, Édith Piaf, Enrico Caruso and Miles Davis as well...

Maybe the "most influential musician in the USA" though...

 

Remember, even these guys wanted Bing.

 

Nope, Frank was first in the 20th century. Bing was hugely popular and influential though. Frank brought songs to life in such a way that few others ever could. Frank could act (Some Came Running, Manchurian Candidate, The Detective) circles around Bing.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avU2aarQUiU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jHr5JbTeRY

 

However there is also the fact, that he was popular worldwide there are many anecdotes of him being heard playing from street corners in different countries, singers from different countries priding themselves on being the “Bing Crosby” of their country singing style wise. Latin America called him “El Bingo”, Germany called her “Der Bingle”, France called him “Le Bing”, and China called him “Bing Kip Shi Bi.”

Both of these things are very much based on opinion, I personally think that Bing triumphs in both respects over Frank singing and acting wise (The Country Girl, Little Boy Lost, Dr. Cook’s Garden), however that is an opinion. A lot of this thread will be as well, the closest we have to unbiased fact is statistics with record sales, box office, etc. in which Bing has more than Frank.

 

I'm sorry but I don't see why being called "Le Bing" in France makes you an "artist of the century".
His importance, though great, is mostly limited to the United States. The United States constitutes 5% of the world's population.
I can think of dozens of other artists that are way more influential around the world than him during the 20th century. Picasso, Akira Kurosawa, Maria Callas, Bertolt Brecht, Albert Camus and Charlie Chaplin come to mind.

 

Chaplin has a strong case to be made, especially his “silent” years. I don’t want to derail the thread, however.