Bob Crosby Jazz bandleader and vocalist Country: USA

Biography of Bob Crosby

Bob Crosby was a jazz orchestra leader and vocalist, best known for his groups "Crosby" and "Bob-Cats." Born in 1913, he was the youngest of seven children, with five brothers and two sisters. His parents were Harry Crosby, an accountant, and Catherine Harrigan, the daughter of an Irish builder.

Early Career and Famous Groups
Bob began singing with Anson Weeks and the Dorsey Brothers before forming his own group in 1935. This group, originally led by Ben Pollack, chose Bob as their leader. Bob's most well-known jazz group was the "Bob-Cats," which included some members from his orchestra. Both the orchestra and the group played in the style of Dixieland jazz, which was a precursor to the rise of traditional jazz in the 1940s.

Musical Success and Hits
Bob Crosby's orchestra and the "Bob-Cats" had numerous hits in their repertoire, including songs like "Day In, Day Out," "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," "Dolores," and "New San Antonio Rose." One of their most popular compositions, "Big Noise From Winnetka," featured a wonderful bass guitar trio and two drum sets.

Military Service and Radio Show
During World War II, Bob Crosby spent 18 months in the Marine Corps, traveling with his group in the Pacific. His radio show, "The Bob Crosby Show," was a success throughout the war and continued to be broadcast on NBC and CBS. In 1953, it received a daily half-hour slot on CBS and continued until 1957.

Personal Life and Legacy
As a performer and host, Bob Crosby possessed enormous charm and wit, combined with the ability to stay in the background. He was married and had five children. The enduring popularity of Bob Crosby's Orchestra and the "Bob-Cats," as chronicled by jazz historian John Chilton, continued in the 1950s and 1960s when members of both groups, Bob Haggart and Yank Lawson, formed a freestyle group that blended Dixieland and swing with frequent changes of soloists. From the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, the group was known as "The World's Greatest Jazzband" and upheld Bob Crosby's musical traditions.

Bob Crosby passed away in 1993 at the age of 80 after battling cancer. Fifteen years after his death, in 2008, two of his compositions, "Way Back Home" and "Happy Times," were featured in the soundtrack of the computer game Fallout 3 and released on a CD. A third composition, "Dear Hearts and Gentle People," was used in the game's trailer but not included in Fallout 3 itself.