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Jazz critic Giddins's latest subject will probably surprise those who think of Bing Crosby (1903-1977) as "a square old man who made orange-juice commercials" and sang "White Christmas" every year on TV. Giddins reminds us that, in the 1920s and '30s, Crosby was a very jazzy singer indeed: "the first white performer to appreciate and assimilate the genius of Louis Armstrong." This sober, comprehensive biography lacks the thematic breadth and action-packed sentences that made Giddins's Visions of Jazz so memorable, but it's a perceptive portrait of Crosby as a man, a singer, a radio personality and a budding movie star in the loose, creative years before he hardened into a monument. Giddins's account of Crosby's middle-class, Irish-American youth in Washington State astutely stresses this singer's years of Jesuit schooling, which made him unusually well educated for a performer and grounded him in values that contributed to the modesty, reserve and self-confidence American audiences found so appealing. Tracing Crosby's rise through vaudeville, Paul Whiteman's band, short films and radio shows, Giddins also offers a mini-history of technology's impact on popular music, most notably Crosby's famous ability to use a microphone to create a more intimate singing style. There's a bit too much background on minor characters and on forgettable films before readers arrive at The Road to Singapore, which launched Crosby's epochal partnership with Bob Hope. But Giddins amply makes his case that Crosby "came along when American entertainment was at a crossroads [and] showed it which road to take." Photos not seen by PW. (Jan.) Forecast: Giddins has long been popular among serious jazz fans, and his name recognition jumped after Visions of Jazz won a National Book Critics Circle Award in 1998. The first volume of a multipart biography, this book will be further boosted by advertising and an eight-city author tour, including an appearance on Ken Burns's PBS documentary, Jazz, airing in January. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Here, Giddins, the author of biographies on Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong and winner of the 1998 National Book Critics Circle Award for Visions of Jazz, has created a detailed, finely documented, and fascinating account of the early career of one of America's leading entertainers of the 20th century. Written with access to rare, unpublished materials, this lengthy work chronicles Crosby's life as well as his singing, recording, radio, and film careers up to 1940, the year of the first of his popular "Road" movies with Bob Hope. Giddins not only corrects a number of popular biographical misconceptions about Crosby but also presents a well-reasoned argument for viewing the singer as a figure of prime importance in the early development of vocal jazz--a contribution later obscured by Crosby's work as a ballad singer and film star. Musicians, fans of popular American song, and film buffs will greatly value this thoughtful critical analysis of Crosby's work in virtually all fields of America's entertainment industry of the 1920s and 1930s. Highly recommended for all libraries. [This is being published to coincide with the author's appearance in Ken Burns's PBS documentary, Jazz.Ed.]--James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll. Alliance, OH Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Jazz authority Gary Giddins (Visions of Jazz, 1998) has crafted a superb biography of American icon Bing Crosby, concluding this volume with the first road film (The Road to Singapore) with Bob Hope (a subsequent volume is projected). Rather than a gossipy Hollywood expos^D'e, like many earlier biographies, this is an important, exhaustively researched study presenting an objective and serious (yet highly entertaining) portrait of Crosby and popular culture of much of the first half of the 20th century. Although Giddins does not eschew glimpses of Crosby's (very private) personal life, of his early drinking problem and that of his wife Dixie Lee, or of his troubled marriage, he focuses on Crosby's professional life. By doing so, he reclaims Crosby's importance as an American artist, especially as a jazz singer in the 1920s and 1930s and subsequently as the virtual inventor of pop music. Giddins's analyses of individual recordings, radio broadcasts, and films (in which Crosby appears to replicate versions of himself) are masterful; his enthusiasm for Crosby's artistry is contagious. As Giddins illustrates time and again, Crosby's influence was palpable. Includes a discography of the early years, a complete filmography, copious notes, wonderful illustrations. Highly recommended for all libraries. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gary Giddins received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Visions of Jazz in 1998. His other books include biographies of Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker. A longtime columnist for the Village Voice, he lives in New York City Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Introduction	3
Part 1 Bingo From Bingville
1 The Harrigans	15
2 The Crosbys	23
3 Tacoma	29
4 Spokane	35
5 Gonzaga	53
6 Mr. Interlocutor	73
7 Musicaladers	92
8 Vaudeville	113
9 Whiteman	141
10 Rhythm Boys	160
11 Of Cabbages and Kings	186
12 Dixie	218
13 Prosperity Is Just Around the Crooner	243
Part 2 Everybody's Bing
14 Big Broadcast	259
15 The Crosby Clause	282
16 Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?	297
17 Under Western Skies	322
18 More Than a Crooner	341
19 Decca	365
20 Kraft Music Hall	394
21 Public Relations	430
22 Homecoming	451
23 A Pocketful of Dreams	470
24 Captain Courageous	503
25 What's New	533
26 Easy Riders	559
Discography	593
Filmography	607
Notes and Sources	622
Interviews and Bibliography	671
Acknowledgments	687
Index	695

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