You are holding in your hands the two hundredth
issue of BING.
Two hundred—that number alone attests to the quality and enduring
appeal of
Bing’s music, well remembered and still popular (especially when the
holidays roll
around) almost one hundred years after Crosby made the record that
kicked off
his illustrious career as an artist, “I’ve Got the Girl,” in 1926. Two
hundred—that number also stands for the relentless hard work of several
generations of men and women whose undying passion for the music and
figure of
Bing Crosby led them to want to share it with one another and with the
entire
world through the ICC, which, in its many different iterations
throughout the
decades, has become the longest-running fan club in history. As Crosby
aficionados, we feel very proud of that and are very thankful for the
enthusiasm and support of so many people around the globe.
And so there it is: two hundred issues later,
we are still
celebrating Bing Crosby the man and the artist, the jazz and pop
singer, the
actor, the radio and television star, the golfer, the family man, the
pioneer
in too many fields to count. One feels that the word legend is
quite
overused these days, labeling too many people to whom the label can
hardly be
applied in earnest. It is not the case with Bing Crosby, though, who
had
already become a living legend a mere decade and a half into his highly
successful solo career, and who remains a legend of twentieth-century
music
almost half a century after his passing on that fateful golf course in
Madrid
back in 1977. The ICC and these two hundred issues of BING are just two
of a
myriad examples of Crosby’s legendary status, and along with the
substantial
bibliography that exists on his life and career, the magazine remains
an
invaluable source and repository of information on all things related
to Bing
that are worth discussing.
So before passing the baton on to my fellow
British Co-Editor,
I would like to take a few moments to remember—as Bing himself sang in
one of
his lesser-known fifties singles—all contributors to BING, past and
present.
Without their love and curiosity for Crosby’s oeuvre, without their
deep
knowledge about it, and without their passionate, rigorous work, the
ICC would
not be possible, and we never would have been able to reach this
milestone. In
a world where most things have gone digital in keeping with all kinds
of swift
technological advances, it is very special indeed to be able to hold in
your
hands every new issue of BING that turns up periodically in your
mailbox, and
it is very enjoyable to read it quietly without the need for a screen
or an
internet connection. But have I already mentioned that this is issue
200? Well,
it seems hard to believe, but it is, and it’s all thanks to all of you
and to
so many that have come before us. Here’s to a wonderful summer,
wherever you
may be, and to (at least) two hundred more issues of BING!
Anton Garcia-Fernandez -
American Co-Editor
This 56-page 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.
Editorial
Secretary / Treasurer’s Report
Love in
a Home
ICC
Online Meetings
8-Track
Crosby
Bing
in song
lyrics
Bing Crosby Advocates
Mario Lanza Institute
Bing’s Hollywood
The ‘Squarest Guy in
Hollywood'
Front Royal Remembers
The KMH Scripts
Note to his
Mistress!
Looking Through Rose-Coloured
Glasses
Trading
Post
Books ‘n’ Bing
A Branch on the Gershwin Tree of Knowledge
What
a Swell Party it Was!
Bing
Crosby’s
Picture Records
Lost
in
Oblivion - The 1975 Lyrics
Celluloid
Crosby
Where Are They
Now?
Paramount’s First
Road Trip
Bing
Crosby’s Classic Radio Broadcasts
One Sweet Letter from You
Ken
Crossland’s Crosbyana
A Note from
Australia
Far Away
Places
Bing on the Box
Once in a While
The Way We Were
Keeping
Track