Great news, Malcolm! Hopefully this time's the charm! I can't wait for this second volume to become available!!!

AGF

Extraordinarily welcome news.


 

Wonderful news to start 2017 with!
Thank you for the information, Malcolm.

 

I could not be more excited for this book! What amazing and rich years to be covered. I hope Mr. Giddins writes extensively about Joan Caulfield, his great friendship with Phil Harris, the amazing box office as well as recording performance especially in 1944 when I believe he had something like 2/3 of the time spent at 1# on the charts, along with his tireless efforts for the GI's. I hope this comes out sooner than the Fall but after over a decade and a half of waiting I guess I can go a few more months.

I'll be pre-ordering mine as soon as I get a date for publication (which I hope is soon)! I'm re-reading Volume 1 for the upteenth time!
 

The way this is going I'll never get to read it. Wonder if there is a library in the afterlife.

I have to say I am very disappointed to see the release date for this is so far away! Almost as disappointed by the fact that this isn't going to cover the entire second part of Bing's career. 

In many ways I think Crosby's career from the 50's on is a much more interesting story. There is this saying that once you're on top the only place to go is down but Bing seems to have defied that to a very large degree. He remained a very big star in the 50's and then sort of transitioned into this familiar friend who showed up on TV specials and at Christmas time, maybe sort of like a favorite uncle. 

I think is would be really interesting to read how his first wife's passing affected his career? Is this the reason why Bing didn't really focus on recording in the early 50's? More background on his albums with Bregman, Scoby, & Clooney would fascinating! With musical tastes changing rapidly were the sing-a-long albums considered maybe the only viable records he could do or were they simply easy sources of income with the radio show ending? Why did he record "Hey Jude"? And from maybe the lows of the late 60's what spurred his resurgence in the 70's?

The second half of Bing's life would make a great book, somebody just needs to put the words on paper!

COMING IN NOVEMBER 2018 Gary Giddins presents the second volume of his masterful multi-part biography Bing Crosby dominated American popular culture in a way that few artists ever have. From the dizzy era of Prohibition through the dark days of the Second World War, he was a desperate nation's most beloved entertainer. But he was more than just a charismatic crooner: Bing Crosby redefined the very foundations of modem music, from the way it was recorded to the way it was orchestrated and performed. In this much-anticipated follow-up to the universally acclaimed first volume, NBCC Winner and preeminent cultural critic Gary Giddins now focuses on Crosby's most memorable period, the war years and the origin story of White Christmas. Set against the backdrop of a Europe on the brink of collapse, this groundbreaking work traces Crosby's skyrocketing career as he fully inhabits a new era of American entertainment and culture. While he would go on to reshape both popular music and cinema more comprehensively than any other artist, Crosby's legacy would be forever intertwined with his impact on the home front, a unifying voice for a nation at war. Over a decade in the making and drawing on hundreds of interviews and unprecedented access to numerous archives, Giddins finally brings Bing Crosby, his work, and his world to vivid life -- firmly reclaiming Crosby's central role in American cultural history. "The best thing to happen to Bing Crosby since Bob Hope." (WSJ) See also http://garygiddins.com/

Last edited by Malcolm Macfarlane (28/1/2018 7:11 am)

Like all of us, I am thrilled to read this. But will not actually get excited about it until there is firm information, cost, shipping date and confirmation that this will indeed happen.  

Great news! I can hardly wait.

The book can now be pre-ordered at https://www.amazon.com/Bing-Crosby-Swinging-Years-1940-1946/dp/0316887927/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520656873&sr=1-3&keywords=Bing+crosby

Just ordered mine for same day as publication delivery! My birthday is just two weeks after that so it'll be an early present to myself! I saw too it's 738 pages, I'll savor every one of them.