The best thing to happen to Bing Crosby since Bob Hope, (WSJ) Gary
Giddins presents the second volume of his masterful multi-part
biography.
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 Second World War, he was a desperate nation's most beloved
entertainer. But he was 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 and performed.
In this much-anticipated follow-up to the universally acclaimed first
volume, NBCC Winner and preeminent cultural critic Gary Giddins now
focuses on Crosby's most memorable period, the war years and the origin
story of White Christmas. 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. While he would go on to reshape both popular music and cinema
more comprehensively than any other artist, Crosby's legacy would be
forever intertwined with his impact on the home front, a unifying voice
for a nation at war. Over a decade in the making and drawing on hundreds
of interviews and unprecedented access to numerous archives, Giddins
brings Bing Crosby, his work, and his world to vivid life -- firmly
reclaiming Crosby's central role in American cultural history.
