Phillip Crosby
Dixie Lee
Dennis Crosby (twin brother)
Lindsay Crosby (brother)
Harry Crosby III (half-brother)
Mary Crosby (half-sister)
Nathaniel Crosby (half-brother)
Larry Crosby (uncle)
Bob Crosby (uncle)
Chris Crosby (cousin)
Denise Crosby (niece)
Phillip Lang Crosby (July 13, 1934 – January 13, 2004) was an American actor and singer. He was one of the four sons of Bing Crosby and Dixie Lee; the others were his older brother Gary, his twin brother Dennis, and his younger brother Lindsay. Phillip began his career singing alongside his three brothers and his father.
Early life and family
Crosby was born in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose in June 1952 and went on to Washington State College at Pullman with his twin brother Dennis for a three-year animal husbandry course. It was thought for a time that twins might take over the running of their father's ranch in Elko, Nevada. It had been the custom for many years for Bing Crosby to take his sons to the ranch each summer for several weeks before going on to Hayden Lake, Idaho, prior to their return to school. As children, the twins were exposed to show business in a big way and appeared on Bing Crosby's various radio shows with their brothers Gary and Lindsay.[1]
When he was 21 in 1955, Phillip inherited $200,000 from his late mother's trust.[2] That same year, Phillip began his national service with the Army and was posted to West Germany in February 1956 to join his twin. They were part of the 24th Medical Detachment of the 10th Infantry Division at Schweinfurt.[3] After leaving the army, Phillip went into show business.
Singing career
Phillip had sung with his brothers on their father's radio shows and they participated in a record with Bing in 1950 called "A Crosby Christmas" which charted at number 22 in the Billboard lists in December, 1950.
After leaving the army, Phillip recorded four tracks for UPA-Chevron on July 29, 1958, including "Thanks" in which his father ad-libbed various comments. Phillip and Dennis had an amusing linking role on the Bing Crosby Show aired on ABC-TV on March 2, 1959.
When Phillip's younger brother, Lindsay, was released from the Army, the four brothers decided to form a vocal group called The Crosby Brothers. They were featured on the cover of Life on September 15, 1958. An appearance on The Phil Silvers Show on November 14, 1958, followed, and they made their debut as a singing group at Tucson, Arizona in 1959. Moving on to the Chez Paree, Chicago, in June 1959, they earned a good review from Variety which said
"CROSBY BROS. Chez Paree, Chicago. Songs 58 Mins. Bing Crosby's four sons are launched on the cabaret scene in high style. The frères—Gary, Phillip, Dennis and Lindsay—have a superlative act that is likely to abash those skeptics who surmised the boys would trade merely on the lustrous family name."[4]
They continued to perform successfully at locations such as the Sahara in Las Vegas and the El Morocco nightclub in Montreal. However, after one of their performances at El Morocco in December 1959, the boys fought among themselves and Gary Crosby left the group.[5]
Phillip, Dennis, and Lindsay continued without Gary and they were given useful exposure on the Bing Crosby Show seen on ABC-TV on February 29, 1960. Bing took the place of Gary to sing "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" with his sons, who also sang two other songs themselves.
They made their first LP for their father's company, Project Records, in April 1960, which was released by MGM Records and was well received. "The Crosby Brothers – Dennis – Philip – Lindsay Crosby (MGM); "Dinah" (Mills*), a hip version of the oldie, makes a promising disk bow for this trio of Bing Crosby offspring. "The Green Grass Grows All Around" (Marfran*) is a bright ensemble of this folk tune.[6] To promote the album, the brothers appeared on the I've Got a Secret show and taught the panel how to lip-sync to "I Can't Give You Anything but Love."[7]
Starting at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas and continuing for the next two years, the three men enjoyed useful success as The Crosby Brothers at venues such as the Chi Chi in Palm Springs, The Venetian room at the Fairmont in San Francisco, and the Latin Quarter in New York.[8] During their stay at the Latin Quarter, they appeared on the What's My Line? TV show on May 14, 1961.[9]
On television, the Crosby Brothers starred on several high-profile shows such as Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (twice), The Ed Sullivan Show (four times) and of course the Bing Crosby Show (twice). The Crosby Brothers act folded, however, when Lindsay Crosby had a breakdown in July 1962 in Juarez, Mexico.[2] Lindsay had to be hospitalized for some time.
Eventually, Phillip decided to embark on a solo career, and he had parts in several films, as well as one of the Ben Casey episodes.[10] He also guest-starred on The Bob Hope Christmas Special on January 17, 1964. Around this time, Phillip was one of the original investors in a chain of Mexican restaurants and he accepted what was at the time a generous offer to buy him out. The chain went on to become the huge Taco Bell organization and Phillip would have made a fortune if he stayed in.[3]
As a singer, Phillip launched his solo act on April 27, 1965, at Hyatt's Backstage Bar in Burlingame, California. Having developed his act, Phillip went to Vietnam with Bob Hope twice to entertain the troops and enjoyed the experience so much that he returned there himself to sing on several occasions.[3] He also appeared on The Bob Hope Vietnam Christmas Show on January 18, 1968, The Hollywood Palace show on March 23, 1968, and April 5, 1969[11] and The Ed Sullivan Show on June 15, 1969.[12]
An opportunity then arose to buy an interest in a night club in Atlanta and he performed there nightly for some years. Phillip gave his final performance at an Elk's Club party in Burbank in 1983.[13]
Personal life
Crosby was married four times to:
- Sandra Jo Drummond, a Las Vegas showgirl (1958–1963); two children, daughter Dixie Lee Crosby (deceased) and son Brian Patrick Crosby (deceased).[14]
- Mary Joyce Gabbard, an airline stewardess (1964–1966); two children, daughter Mary Elizabeth Crosby and son Bing (known as 'Flip') Crosby.
- Georgi Edwards, a former Las Vegas showgirl (1967–1969)
- Peggy J. Compton, an actress (1972–1975); one son Phillip L. Crosby Jr., (a crooner in Los Angeles who revitalizes some of Bing's old songs).
In his later years, Phillip's health was not good and he had problems with his back and knees following a motorcycle accident. In the 1980s, he was arrested several times for drunk driving and, despite 18 months of Alcoholics Anonymous, he told People, "I don't drink any more—but I don't drink any less."[15]
Despite a promising start to life, the Crosby brothers were clearly overwhelmed by their emotional problems, which resulted in heavy drinking. Their mother died from ovarian cancer in 1952, but her health was not helped by acute alcoholism. Phillip's twin Dennis, and his younger brother, Lindsay, both died by suicide with shotguns, in their 50s. Gary died of lung cancer in 1995, aged 62. Gary Crosby wrote a book called Going My Own Way, alleging emotional and physical abuse by his father. Phillip refuted this and he gave an interview to Neil Blincow of The Globe in 1999 stating:
"My dad was not the monster my lying brother said he was, he was strict, but my father never beat us black and blue and my brother Gary was a vicious, no-good liar for saying so. I have nothing but fond memories of dad, going to studios with him, family vacations at our cabin in Idaho, boating and fishing with him.... He [Gary] knew it [the book Going My Own Way] would generate a lot of publicity and that was the only way he could get his ugly, no-talent face on television and in the newspapers. He wrote it out of greed. He wanted to make money and knew that humiliating our father and blackening his name was the only way he could do it. My dad took care of us from a very early age with a trust fund. But we blew it all. To my dying day, I'll hate Gary for dragging Dad's name through the mud. My dad was my hero. I loved him very much. And he loved all of us too, including Gary. He was a great father."[16]
Political views
Crosby supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.[17]
Death
Crosby died on January 13, 2004, in Woodland Hills, California from a heart attack, aged 69.
Discography
Albums
- A Crosby Christmas (EP) – with Dennis Crosby, Gary Crosby, Lindsay Crosby and Bing Crosby (1950)
- The Crosby Brothers – Dennis – Philip – Lindsay Crosby (1960)
- Presenting the Crosby Brothers (MGM-C-846) (2000)
- Side One
- "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby"
- "Mine" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
- "Limehouse Blues"
- "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams"
- "Joshua"
- "Mam'selle"
- Side Two
- "Once in a While"
- "I Can't Give You Anything But Love"
- "The Green Grass Grows All Around"
- "Dinah"
- "Singin' in the Rain"
- "Magic Is the Moonlight" (María Grever, Charles Pasquale)
Singles
- "Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)" (1963)
- "Little by Little" (1963)
- "Thanks"
- "Ball of Love"
Filmography
- Out of This World (1945) – Himself, Kid in Audience
- Duffy's Tavern (1945) – Himself
- Screen Snapshots Series 25, No. 10: Famous Fathers and Sons (1946) – Himself
- Sergeants 3 (1962) – Cpl. Ellis
- Robin and the Seven Hoods (1963) – Robbo's Hood #3
- None but the Brave (1965) – Pvt. Magee (final film role)
Television
- The Phil Silvers Show (1 episode, November 14, 1958) – Himself
- What's My Line? (1 episode, May 14, 1961) – Himself
- I've Got a Secret (1 episode, July 26, 1961) – Himself
- The Ed Sullivan Show (5 episodes, 4 as Crosby Brothers, 1 solo) – Himself
- Ben Casey (1 episode, November 9, 1964)
- The Bob Hope Show (two appearances, 1964) – Himself
- The Hollywood Palace (2 episodes, 1968–1969) – Himself
References
- ^ "BING magazine". BING magazine.
- ^ a b "BING magazine". BING magazine. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Guess who came to dinner?". BING magazine. Vol. 122. Summer 1999. p. 39.
- ^ "NEW ACTS". Variety. July 1, 1959.
- ^ "People". Time. December 14, 1959.
- ^ "Jocks, Jukes and Discs". Variety. June 8, 1960.
- ^ Bing's Sons on 'I've Got A Secret'. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Craig's Big Bands and Big Names.com". Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ What's My Line? - Phil, Dennis, & Lindsay Crosby; Joey Bishop [panel] (May 14, 1961). Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved July 18, 2015 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Phillip Crosby(1934-2004)". IMDb. Retrieved July 18, 2015.[unreliable source?]
- ^ Bing & Phillip Crosby - Hollywood Palace Medley. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21 – via YouTube.
- ^ "The TVDB.com". The TVDB.com. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ "A Trip Down Memory Lane". 3 April 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ Clemens, Samuel (2020). Pat: A Biography of Hollywood's Blonde Starlet. Sequoia Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-0578682822.
- ^ "Philip Crosby, 69; Entertainer, Son of Legendary Crooner". Los Angeles Times. 17 January 2004. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ "BING magazine". BING magazine. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ Critchlow, Donald T. (2013-10-21). When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107650282.
External links
- Phillip Crosby at IMDb
- Phillip Crosby at Find a Grave
- v
- t
- e
- Music of Hawaii (1939)
- Victor Herbert Melodies, Vol. One (1939)
- Patriotic Songs for Children (1939)
- Cowboy Songs (Bing Crosby's first solo album) (1939)
- Victor Herbert Melodies, Vol. Two (1939)
- George Gershwin Songs, Vol. One (1939)
- Ballad for Americans (Bing Crosby's first solo studio album)(1940)
- Favorite Hawaiian Songs (1940)
- Christmas Music (1940)
- Star Dust (1940)
- Hawaii Calls (1941)
- Small Fry (1941)
- Crosbyana (1941)
- Under Western Skies (1941)
- Song Hits from Holiday Inn (w/ Fred Astaire) (1942)
- Merry Christmas (1945)
- Selections from Going My Way (1945)
- Selections from The Bells of St. Mary's (1946)
- Don't Fence Me In (w/ The Andrews Sisters) (1946)
- The Happy Prince (1946)
- Selections from Road to Utopia (1946)
- Bing Crosby – Stephen Foster (1946)
- What We So Proudly Hail (1946)
- Favorite Hawaiian Songs, Vol. One (1946)
- Favorite Hawaiian Songs, Vol. Two (1946)
- Blue Skies (w/ Fred Astaire and Irving Berlin) (1946)
- Bing Crosby – Jerome Kern (1946)
- St. Patrick's Day (1947)
- Bing Crosby – Victor Herbert (1947)
- Cowboy Songs, Vol. One (1947)
- Selections from Welcome Stranger (1947)
- Our Common Heritage (1947)
- El Bingo (1947)
- The Small One (1947)
- The Man Without a Country (1947)
- Drifting and Dreaming (1947)
- Blue of the Night (1948)
- Selections from Showboat (1948)
- The Emperor Waltz (1948)
- St. Valentine's Day (1948)
- Bing Crosby Sings with Al Jolson, Bob Hope, Dick Haymes and the Andrews Sisters (1948)
- Selections from Road to Rio (1948)
- Bing Crosby Sings with Judy Garland, Mary Martin, Johnny Mercer (1948)
- Bing Crosby Sings with Lionel Hampton, Eddie Heywood, Louis Jordan (1948)
- Bing Crosby Sings the Song Hits from Broadway Shows (1948)
- Cowboy Songs, Vol. Two (1948)
- Auld Lang Syne (1948)
- Bing Crosby Sings Cole Porter Songs (1949)
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949)
- Bing Crosby Sings Songs by George Gershwin (1949)
- South Pacific (1949)
- Christmas Greetings (1949)
- Ichabod – The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)
- Top o' the Morning / Emperor Waltz (1950)
- Songs from Mr. Music (w/ Dorothy Kirsten and The Andrews Sisters) (1950)
- Go West Young Man (w/ The Andrews Sisters) (1950)
- Collectors' Classics, Vols. 1–8 (1951)
- Way Back Home (1951)
- Bing Crosby Sings the Song Hits from... (1951)
- Bing and the Dixieland Bands (1951)
- Yours Is My Heart Alone (1951)
- Country Style (1951)
- Beloved Hymns (1951)
- Bing and Connee (w/ Connee Boswell) (1952)
- When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1952)
- Themes and Songs from The Quiet Man (w/ Victor Young) (1952)
- Selections from the Paramount Picture "Just for You" (w/ Jane Wyman and The Andrews Sisters) (1952)
- Road to Bali (w/ Bob Hope and Peggy Lee) (1952)
- Le Bing: Song Hits of Paris (1953)
- Some Fine Old Chestnuts (1954)
- Bing Sings the Hits (1954)
- Selections from White Christmas (w/ Peggy Lee and Danny Kaye) (1954)
- Bing: A Musical Autobiography (1954)
- The Country Girl / Little Boy Lost (1955)
- Merry Christmas (later version of 1945 78rpm album) (1955)
- Shillelaghs and Shamrocks (1956)
- Home on the Range (1956)
- Blue Hawaii (1956)
- High Tor (w/ Julie Andrews and Everett Sloane) (1956)
- A Christmas Sing with Bing Around the World (1956)
- Anything Goes (w/ Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor and Zizi Jeanmaire) (1956)
- High Society (w/ Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, and Louis Armstrong) (1956)
- Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around (1956)
- Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings (1956)
- Bing with a Beat (1957)
- A Christmas Story (1957)
- Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1957)
- New Tricks (1957)
- The Bible Story of Christmas (1957)
- Never Be Afraid (1958)
- Jack B. Nimble – A Mother Goose Fantasy (1958)
- Fancy Meeting You Here ( w/ Rosemary Clooney) (1958)
- Around the World with Bing! (1958)
- Bing in Paris (1958)
- That Christmas Feeling (1958)
- In a Little Spanish Town (1958)
- Bing’s Buddies and Beaus (1959)
- Say One for Me (w/ Debbie Reynolds and Robert Wagner) (1959)
- How the West Was Won (w/ Rosemary Clooney) (1960)
- Join Bing and Sing Along (1960)
- Bing & Satchmo (w/ Louis Armstrong) (1960)
- Songs of Christmas (1960)
- 101 Gang Songs (1961)
- El Señor Bing (1961)
- My Golden Favorites (1961)
- The Road to Hong Kong (1962)
- Bing's Hollywood (set of 15 albums) (1962)
- On the Happy Side (1962)
- I Wish You a Merry Christmas (1962)
- Holiday in Europe (1962)
- Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre (1963)
- Return to Paradise Islands (1964)
- America, I Hear You Singing (w/ Frank Sinatra and Fred Waring) (1964)
- Robin and the 7 Hoods (w/ Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr.) (1964)
- 12 Songs of Christmas (w/ Frank Sinatra and Fred Waring) (1964)
- Bing Crosby Sings the Great Country Hits (1965)
- That Travelin' Two-Beat (w/ Rosemary Clooney) (1965)
- The Summit (w/ Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.) (1966)
- Bing Crosby's Treasury – The Songs I Love (1966)
- Bing Crosby and The Columbus Boychoir Sing Family Christmas Favorites (w/ The Columbus Boychoir) (1967)
- Thoroughly Modern Bing (1968)
- Bing Crosby's Treasury - The Songs I Love (1968 version) (1968)
- Hey Jude/Hey Bing! (1969)
- Goldilocks (1970)
- A Time to Be Jolly (1971)
- Bing 'n' Basie (w/ Count Basie) (1972)
- Rhythm on the Range (1972)
- I’ll Sing You a Song of the Islands (1972)
- A Southern Memoir (1975)
- That's What Life Is All About (1975)
- A Couple of Song and Dance Men (w/ Fred Astaire) (1975)
- Tom Sawyer (1976)
- At My Time of Life (1976)
- Bing Crosby Live at the London Palladium (1976)
- Feels Good, Feels Right (1976)
- Beautiful Memories (1977)
- Bingo Viejo (1977)
- Seasons (Bing Crosby's last studio album released during his lifetime) (1977)
- A Little Bit of Irish (posthumous edition, recorded in 1966) (1993)
- Bing Crosby: The Voice of Christmas (1998)
- On the Sentimental Side (posthumous edition, recorded in 1962; Bing Crosby's latest studio album) (2010)
- Dixie Lee (first wife)
- Gary Crosby (son)
- Dennis Crosby (son)
- Phillip Crosby (son)
- Lindsay Crosby (son)
- Kathryn Crosby (second wife)
- Harry Crosby (son)
- Mary Crosby (daughter)
- Nathaniel Crosby (son)
- Denise Crosby (granddaughter)
- Larry Crosby (brother)
- Bob Crosby (brother)
- Category