CBS Radio – A Christmas Sing With Bing – December 24, 1958 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Contrary to rumors that he hated it, Bing Crosby has become synonymous with Christmas and Christmas music.
Starting in 1954 and going up to his death, Bing Crosby became the epitome of the Holiday season with a yearly music special. First on radio and then on television. Coupled with the almost constant runnings of White Christmas and Holiday Inn on TV, the image of Bing Crosby as all things Christmas is embedded deep in the American psyche and has pretty much stayed that way for the past 60+ years.
Following the demise of the traditional weekly Bing Crosby variety show in the spring of 1954, to be replaced by a nightly 15-minute disc-jockey format show, radio listeners missed out on a full-fledged, half-hour Christmas program hosted by Crosby for the first time in twenty years. In 1955, this situation was remedied when Crosby, the undisputed voice of Christmas at the time, embarked on one of his most ambitious radio projects ever; a transcribed one-hour Christmas spectacular featuring guest artists that spanned the entire globe. It was called “A Christmas Sing with Bing” and the success of the initial broadcast resulted in the show running each year until 1962.
Since his death, the popularity of Bing Crosby around Christmas time hasn’t diminished by much. But there are many people who don’t know about the yearly ritual of Bing’s televised sing-alongs.
So as a reminder of the earlier ones on radio, here is the 1958 edition of A Christmas Sing With Bing, as it was originally broadcast on December 24th, 1958.
And a Merry Christmas to all from the gang at Past Daily!
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