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 wear the toupee that CBS and NBC required for his live audience shows—he preferred a hat. He could also record short promotions for his latest investment, the world's first frozen orange juice, sold under the brand name Minute Maid. This investment allowed him to make more money by finding a loophole where the IRS couldn't tax him at a 77% rate. Murdo MacKenzie of Bing Crosby Enterprises had seen a demonstration of the German Magnetophon in June 1947—the same device that Jack Mullin had brought back from Radio Frankfurt with 50 reels of tape, at the end of the war.