Bing Crosby Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (; May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor. The first multimedia star, Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1931 to 1954. His early career coincided with recording innovations such as the microphone. This allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed him, including Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, and Dean Martin. "Yank" magazine said that he was the person who had done the most for American soldiers' morale during World War
Bing Crosby Irish-American. His father was of English descent; an ancestor, Simon Crosby, emigrated to America in the 17th century. The first Crosby in America was the English immigrant Simon Crosby, who was a Puritan from Cambridgeshire, England. Through an entirely paternal line Bing Crosby is descended from Simon Crosby, who emigrated from England to New England in the 1630s during the Puritan migration to New England. Through another line, also on his father's side, Crosby is descended from "Mayflower" passenger William Brewster (c. 1567 – April 10, 1644). On November 8, 1937, after Lux Radio Theatre's adaptation of "She Loves Me