Thanks for all you have done, Richard. It is really appreciated.

Bless you, Richard for your decades of unending love of all things Bing. You kept this site afloat during some very "dark" years and it was the place to come to to share and enjoy the "rebirth" while it lasted. As all of us here, I look forward to seeing what the results are from the recent announcement. I wish you all the best as you look to the future. 

P.S. You could not have left the Admin position in the hands of a more dedicated Crosby person. I know David will continue to grow your legacy here on the board!   

Archiefit wrote:

Yes, I believe this board has lasted all these years since internet boards first became a thing.   I first posted on Steven Lewis' Bing board, I was really sorry when that was forced to close by forces I won't get into again.  Then David & I used to post on the next board that I believe he either created or helped out on it was a Google "Free Speech" board and that was a great place but once again free speech was closed down when that board was shut down by our freedom loving friends at Google.   But thru all those times I believe this board existed, I used to read here often but then a couple years ago I finally logged in.  

I'm glad to be here too and I also offer my congratulations to Richard for being a stalwart faithful friend to Bing's memory and to upkeeping this board thru good times and bad.  

Well said!
 

Like Jeremy said, I can only restate everyone's thoughts here. Thank you Richard, you were a shining light in my earl days of getting into Bing, and will never forget you for the help you gave me. I think David will do great running this forum, he's already been posting and getting the conversation started here. It'll be nice to see this active after the loss of a mostly active forum earlier this year with the Sinatra family forum, and with Bing not really being the most popular subject on other music forums.

Things have been kind of slow in these parts. Let's get the conversation going. If each person started one new post, then we would be overwhelmed with activity!

Hello, haven´t wrote for a long time, but following this board reguarly with great interest. I am often wondering that´s there are long times of silence on this excellent board. For myself: I am often not feeling very well (or should I say with Cole Porter: Miss Otis Regret, I´m Unable to Lunch Today...)- Best wishes to all the old (and naturally many young) Bing friends.

Richard,

Thank you for everything you have done for the Bing community: setting up and administering this board, your wonderful on-line discography, "Keeping Track", and your other contributions to Bing magazine. Also, thank you for the many times you have helped me personally as a Bing fan and collector.

Best wishes, and I hope we will still here from you now and then.

David, thank you for taking over administration of this board along with your many other contributions to the community.

Archiefit wrote:

People for some reason just don't post messages anymore the way they used to back in the day of say Steven Lewis' board.   Maybe it's Facebook that is the cause (I've never been on Facebook) but maybe that's where people post or maybe people now are just afraid to post anything on the internet.   Who knows, but it'd be nice to hear from those folks again who used to post so regularly on the old boards back in the day.   We used to have some interesting talk and informative talk too.   Where is my old friend Arne and all the rest of the gang from the Lewis board?   Have they all gone underground?  (I don't mean that literally either.   Although it's been so long some just may have.   Bless their memories.)

I agree. Sometimes I look at the messages from Steve Lewis's board. It was a fun time. I think the posting here comes in waves. I'll keep this message board going as long as possible. I think it is still a great source of knowledge for Bing fans!
 

Archiefit wrote:

It's so good to see new people here and new fans of our favorite singer.   I have been a happy participant at the old Steven Lewis Bing message site, now defunct, and a later Google Bing message site-also now defunct.   So I was happy to come here, what seems to be the last man standing message board for Bing talk.  

It's always interesting to hear how people started listening or discovering Bing.  Everyone's story seems to be different.   One thing sadly interesting is that most of us find ourselves alone amongst our family and friends as fans of Bing.   So finding these Bing places brings all of us members of good taste and high standing together.  
Now for a bit of blowing my own horn, stand back.  If you like Bing you'll like my podcast where I feature a different Bing song in every one of my shows.   My shows feature classic pop music and an episode of a funny and interesting show called The Great Gildersleeve.   I play music both before and after the Gildersleeve program.   I call Bing my "House Singer" just as radio shows in the old days had "House Bands" because there's a Bing song in each episode.   The show is called Sounds Like Radio and I'm "Your Humble Host".   I usually feature 2 shows a week, sometimes more.   One is my main feature, Sounds Like Radio.  The other is a show that comes from my Vast Library of Sound tape collection where a different vintage radio show is heard each week.   Sometimes it's a detective show, a Jean Shepherd Show (the guy who created the annual Christmas movie "A Christmas Story"), a Phil Harris & Alice Faye Show, well a whole variety of shows all under the banner the Library of Sound.  Yes, there are also Bing Crosby Shows that I feature on the Library of Sound, quite a lot if you scroll down to some past shows.   So I hope you'll join me in what I think is a fun and I hope to all an enjoyable time on my Sounds Like Radio by Your Humble Host podcast.   Here's where it all happens:
https://anchor.fm/your-humble-host
 

Oh wow! Thanks so much for this. No, please blow away! This seems like an embarrassment of riches! I'll let you know once I've had a good old listen! Thank you again, Archiefit. 
 

Graham Pascoe wrote:

Hullo Ian. I don't remember when I discovered this website, probably from Bing magazine. I'm an elderly Aussie who lives 130 miles west of Sydney and have been interested in Bing's life and career for seventy years or so. Bing Crosby was undoubtedly the most influential and admired entertainer in Australia for decades although he never came to our shores. From time to time I post something with an Australian slant which I hope interests folk.

Now Graham! What's with all this "elderly" nonsense, young man! I've read so many of your posts on here before I joined and your enthusiasm shines though any senior years you may wish to claim!

Can you remember the first time you either saw or heard Bing, around seventy years ago - and what it was?

Yes it's such a shame Bing didn't make it to your country. I suspect more ultimately though, due to the appalling timing of his death. I thought I'd heard (or read) Rosemary Clooney say that they were planning Tokyo for their concert schedule in 1978. So logically(ish), if Bing was still happy to be travelling that far afield into his seventy-fifth year, I would have thought Australia would have not been too far behind and more than likely within his sights. I know we can "What if?" forever but with Bing as popular as you have just described in your neck of the woods - ssurely, you could have more than likely looked forward to a fabulous evening.

Although he was continuously popping in and out of the UK, timing was also against me. I was only eight years of age when he died (and have no memory of it at all) but just within another five years, I was the devoted fan I still am and can't help feeling robbed of what for us both, would have been golden.

Speaking of Aussie slants, (and admittedly a little "Off topic", here), were you a fan and if so, did you have the opportunity to see Frank Sinatra on one of his visits to your shores ? I'm fully aware of his largely self inflicted PR disaster of a visit in 1974 but just wondered if you did see him sing, what you felt of his performances - Down Under during his numerous visits?

 

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (04/3/2022 10:17 pm)

Ron Field wrote:

I’m an 88 year oldAussie and became interested in Bing whenI was about 8-10. I would write to him and other film stars. Most sent postcard size photo but Bing would send a letter telling a photo was coming under seperate cover and in the letter spoke of his latest film. Photo duly arrived a couple of days later - a 10”x8” b & w. Wrote often and the postie would tell me - a photo from Bing.
I got lucky and met him within a week of arriving in North America - Vancouver and met in Seattle. Met him a few times after that. Also got to meet a few of his family.
I did present a show on Community Radio called Mainly Bing.
Saw him at the Palladium and big thrill when he rang me at work.
Just an ordinary man with a great talent.

Too bad he didn’t make Australia but it was on his agenda for 1978.
There was a Yank that brought stars to Australia and performed at the Sydney Boxing Stadium.
Judy Garland, Johnny Ray, Louis Armstrong (with Gary), Betty Hutton, Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa and others. This was in the 1950’s and sit in the bleachers for about 50 cents. Bob Hope was another. The Stadium held 2 to 3 times or more the audience that the largest Sydney theatre could hold. Boxing was on Monday nights

Hello, Ron.
 As a 52 year old UK based chap, I was only eight years of age when Bing died, have no memory of the sad event or indeed didn't have much awareness of the man himself at that early stage. 
As a fully paid up member of the pathetic "Star Struck" brigade - may I impose with a few questions on what you've not long submitted, here?

Concert wise, do have any particular memories that stand out from his performances during the times you saw Bing live?

You said your impressions of him were just of an ordinary man with a great talent. On meeting him the number of times you did, was he someone who chatted easily and who put any of those around him who might have been a little quiet and awestruck, immediately at their ease - or did he behave a  little shyly himself?

Which of his family members did you meet and under what circumstances? 

I do hope, Ron you don't find these questions too intrusive. I'm just so delighted and curious that you met and corresponded with someone whose talent and professionalism we all on here hold in such high regard. 

 

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (08/3/2022 7:35 pm)

Ron Field wrote:

Hello Ian,
Well, I consider myself a very lucky Aussie with having met Bing a couple of times and spoke on the phone and saw 4 Palladium concerts - 2 in each year, opening and closing nights except 1976 when after opening night a couple of nights later as I went to the Montreal Olympics.
In 1955 when I met him in Seattle, he asked what I was doing and was I going to Los Angeles, answered yes, and Bing said go see my brother.
Got lucky and saw Bob do a benefit TVshow on a Sunday then Monday to the Crosby office where I met Larry. Larry asked could they do anything for me - I answered about visiting Paramount but that wasn’t possible as Bing had finished with them. Larry offered me tickets to Disneyland but I declined as I didn’t wish to appear as ‘a bludger’.
About 1965 I met Phil in Sydney as he was at the Chevron Hotel doing a nightclub spot. Had a lunchtime beer with him.
Saw Gary perform in Sydney with Louis Armstrong.
Then in England 1966-68 I spoke on the phone and saw him at his hotel.
Returned to Australia and then off to UK in 1972 to 1979.
Spoke on phone, he rang me at the office one day too.
Caddied for Nathaniel. Met Harry and also Kathryn. Kathryn rang me when I was in Vegas.
Met nephew Howard and a couple of his aunts as well as wife.Met Lindsay’s son Kevin.
So, one very fortunate Australian.
Think I’ve covered everything and hope you enjoy.
Stay safe.
Ron

Ron,

Thank you so much for taking the time for me with all this. I could not be more delighted for you to have all these wonderful direct memories. To have met, spoken with and then seen numerous times in concert a performer I think I respect and hold dear more than almost any other (head to head with Fred Astaire but I think that's fine considering the huge respect and affection both gents held each other in), is so heart warming.

You say you consider yourself very lucky with all this but then again I believe can we can to a certain degree make our own luck insofar that both Bing and all his family members must have seen something in you to have given you the time. Plus to have also seen Gary perform with LOUIS ARMSTRONG (I make no apologies for "shouting", here) is beyond anything I could begin to dream of. Surely, if there's anyone could hold a candle to Bing for being the single most influential figure on last century's popular music, it would have to be Louis?

Thank you again, Ron for the honour. It's members such as you that make all this such a joy. The pleasure was all mine. I'm sure we'll soon "meet" again on another thread. 

Stay safe yourself, sir! 
Ian.

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (12/3/2022 4:04 am)