BING CROSBY: Swinging on A Star: The War Years, 1940-1946

Bing Crosby dominated American popular culture in a way that few artists ever have. From the dizzy era of Prohibition through the dark days of the WWII, he was a desperate nation's most beloved entertainer. But more than just a charismatic crooner, Bing Crosby redefined the very foundations of modern music, from the way it was recorded to the way it was orchestrated, interpreted, recorded and performed. Gary Giddins focuses on Crosby's most memorable period, the war years and the origin story of White Christmas and Swinging on a Star. Holiday Inn, Going My Way, The Bells of St Mary's and the first four road movies was accomplished. Seeds of change on broadcasting and the music business were planted and showbusiness helped define society, manhood and responsibility. Set against the backdrop of a Europe on the brink of collapse, this groundbreaking work traces Crosby's skyrocketing career as he fully inhabits a new era of American entertainment and culture. Over a decade in the making and drawing on hundreds of interviews and unprecedented access to numerous archives, Giddins firmly reclaims Crosby's central role in American cultural history. Endpapers decorated with colour movie posters, 32 pages of illus. 724 pages.