Bing Crosby’s Birthday

On May 3, 1903, Harry Lillis Crosby was born to Harry Lincoln and Catherine Helen Crosby in Tacoma, Washington, the fourth of seven children. At the age of six, he earned the nickname “Bingo from Bingville.”  Shortened to “Bing,” the name stayed with him throughout his career.  Crosby performed with several bands throughout the 1920s and made his radio debut in 1931. Within a year he had performed in 10 of the top 50 songs on the radio. Throughout the 1940s his acting career proved as successful as his musical career, and today he is widely regarded as one of the most popular and successful performers of the twentieth century.  Crosby continued to perform until his death at the age of 74 in 1977.

Bing Crosby with Phil Harris and Bob Littler listening to record player, Seattle, 1956. Image courtesy of the Museum of History and Industry via King County Snapshots.

You can find primary source documents relating to Bing Crosby and the history of film and radio broadcasting at Opening History.

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Happy Birthday Frank Sinatra!

December 12 marked the day Frank Sinatra was born in 1915. He grew up to become an iconic singer and actor until his death in the 1998. Among Sinatra’s best known songs are “New York New York,” “My Way,” “Come Fly With Me,” and many more. Sinatra also starred  in many movies including “From Here to Eternity,” “Guys and Dolls,” and “The Manchurian Candidate.” Frank Sinatra was also a member of the Rat Pack, along with Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop.

You can find many images of Frank Sinatra in glamorous shots or images of him working and rehearsing at Opening History. The image below was provided by Special Collections from the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries.

Frank Sinatra at the Cal-Neva Lodge. Image courtesy of the University of Nevada, Reno.

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Dizzy Gillespie

American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie (1917-1993) was born on October 21, 1917, in Cheraw, South Carolina. Dizzy Gillespie became one of the major figures in the development of bebop and modern jazz. The portrait of Dizzy Gillespie below courtesy of Louisiana State Museum Jazz Collection.

Dizzy Gillespie

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Dreams and Songs of the Noble Old

Films is one of the various types of digital objects represented by digital collections in Opening History aggregation.

Full version of the Alan Lomax’s Dreams and Songs of the Noble Old film (58 min., 1991), courtesy of Folkstreams digital collection of documentary films about American folk or roots culture. More information about this digital collection can be found at .

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