As we head into the Christmas holidays it will be great to hear Bing’s voice all over the place and on the radio. It always annoys us Crosby supporters that the general public knows so little about the rest of Der Bingle’s vast repertoire but let’s be grateful that his Christmas recordings are so popular and help to keep his legacy alive and thriving, even in these strange times as we battle the dreadful virus.

We had a minor panic with our last issue as one of the eight parcels dispatched to Perry went astray. Fortunately we had sufficient spares due to the requirement of a minimum 500 print run to replace the missing parcel. However it did mean that about 30 members were a little late in getting their magazine.

It was with great sadness that we received the news of the passing of our honorary member Regis Philbin. A life-long Crosby fan, Regis was constantly mentioning Bing in his dealings with the media. We have a more detailed obituary later in this edition.

There’s a tremendous variety of material in this issue, ranging from Bing’s early days until his last performance at the London Palladium. Anton considers some less well-known Christmas recordings by The Groaner, Chris Hammond looks in detail at Dixie Lee, John Bassett finds a “time capsule” and David Lobosco examines a 1956 film. Richard Baker has something to review in Keeping Track at last, Ken Crossland has some beautiful memories and Martin McQuade talks about the output of BCP (you’ll have to read his article to find out who they were!). Jeremy Rose reviews a rarely heard 1975 album and we give details of a long forgotten film song. There is original research into Bing’s radio work in 1931/32 plus a lot more. Plenty for you to read over the holidays.

I wish you all the best for Christmas and the New Year. Stay safe!

Malcolm Macfarlane - Editor

This glossy magazine continues to be essential reading for the serious Crosby supporter and order your copy of the magazine now by contacting Perry Huntoon (phone: (630) 357-5374).

To see details of earlier issues, click here.