Bob Crosby Collection

Bob Crosby
(1913 – 1993)

It can't be easy to have someone with superstar status in the family. Dealing with that level of fame presents enough challenges without having to subject your family to them. If your big brother has already made it big in Show Business and you are getting into performing as well, it can be a mixed blessing. Will your success be your own or will you always be the little brother?

We cannot help but imagine that the house at 508 E Sharp Street in Spokane, Washington, would have been an interesting place to grow up. That is the house that bookkeeper Harry Crosby moved his family into in 1913, which is the same year his son Bob, the youngest of seven, was born. A few years before, Bob's older brother was a big fan of a humor supplement in the local paper called the "Bingville Bugle". It gave him the nickname he would carry the rest of his life, Bing Crosby.

Bob was ten years younger than Bing, and while he never had the breakout success that his big brother enjoyed, he was a definite success in the world of Jazz. After studying at Gonzaga University (also Bing's alma mater), Bob joined Anson Weeks' orchestra as a singer. He had a good voice that was often compared to his brother's, but he lacked Bing's rhythmic finesse, and he knew it. However, he was very good at connecting with the audience, and for most of the outfits he worked with, that was more important than a great voice.

The Dorsey Brothers hired Bob away from Weeks in 1934, and in 1935, he got the chance to lead his own outfit made up from the ruins of the Ben Pollack Orchestra. Pollack was considered "the Father of Swing", and he had hired some important musicians along the way, including Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, and Harry James. However, there were personnel changes when times got hard, and eventually his remaining musicians left him in New York. The band mates elected Crosby as their leader and reformed as the Bob Crosby Orchestra. Bob was quick to realize that the band was talented enough to get by without a front man, and to his credit, he spent more time promoting their solos than his own work. He did form a "band within the band" known as the Bob-Cats which specialized in Dixie-land Jazz. In time, the Bob-Cats would lead a Dixieland revival.

In 1938, Tommy Dorsey raided the Bob Crosby Orchestra and made off with his pianist, trumpeter, and arranger. As a result, Dixie-land was less emphasized, and Bob began to appear in films. His first starring role was in Rookies on Parade (1941). Martha Tilton joined the band in 1941, and the group began to regain its Dixieland roots, but when the War came the musicians began to answer the draft. Bob was commissioned in the Marine Corps and toured with bands through the Pacific Theater.

After his discharge, Bob continued in pictures, usually playing himself, and formed a new band called the Bobcats. He sang occasionally, but, for the most part, was happy to let his sidemen take the spotlight. Bob substituted for Bing occasionally on The Kraft Music Hall, and also hosted his own show on CBS and NBC at different times. CBS's Club Fifteen featured Bob as host along with the Andrews Sisters from 1947 to 1950.

In 1952, longtime band leader for The Jack Benny Program, Phil Harris, left the show. Harris had his own show on NBC which aired immediately after Jack went off the air. This was no problem when both shows were on the same network, but in 1949 Jack jumped ship for CBS. For the next couple years, Phil would leave the CBS studio halfway through Jack's show so that he could be on time for his. When he finally left in 1952, Bob was named as his replacement. The overriding reason Harris was let go was money, budgets were cut in favor of TV, and Harris was the easiest of Jack's gang to let go.

Jack and Bob got along very well, both in and out of the studio. He took over Harris's band on the show essentially unchanged, and his comic timing was a good fit with Jack and the rest of the gang. Bob appeared frequently on the show after it moved to television.

Bob Crosby died of cancer in La Jolla, California, on March 9, 1993, from complications due to cancer. He was 79. Two Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honor Bob Crosby, one at 6252 Hollywood Blvd for Television and the other at 6313 Hollywood Blvd to honor his contributions to Radio.