The Rise of the Crooners

Gene Austin, Russ Columbo, Bing Crosby, Nick Lucas, Johnny Marvin and Rudy Vallee

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Pop & Rock, Popular, Music Styles
Cover of the book The Rise of the Crooners by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian, Scarecrow Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian ISBN: 9781461707127
Publisher: Scarecrow Press Publication: December 22, 2001
Imprint: Scarecrow Press Language: English
Author: Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
ISBN: 9781461707127
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Publication: December 22, 2001
Imprint: Scarecrow Press
Language: English

Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Rudy Vallee—these cultural icons whose fame spanned all the important mass media, also played a vital role in the origin and development of the crooning tradition.

Crooning represented one of the most important musical styles of the twentieth century, intermingling with jazz and fronting the big band craze of the thirties and forties. Crooners spurred the rise of radio as home staple and the Golden Age of film musicals. When commercial television became a viable commodity, crooners anchored perhaps the first TV programming innovation, the variety show. It took the cataclysmic aesthetic and cultural changes ushered in by rock 'n' roll in the 1950s to finally bring crooners down from their pedestal.

The Rise of the Crooners examines the historical trends and events that led to the emergence of the crooning style. Ian Whitcomb, a successful popular music vocalist himself for almost 40 years, provides a personal perspective on this phenomenon. The lives and careers of six pioneers of the style—Bing Crosby, Russ Columbo, Gene Austin, Rudy Vallee, Johnny Marvin, and Nick Lucas—are covered at length. With the exception of one entry devoted to Crosby—possibly the greatest entertainer of the past century—these biographies (appended by lengthy bibliographies and discographies) are more thorough and up-to-date than any treatment in print about these seminal artists.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Rudy Vallee—these cultural icons whose fame spanned all the important mass media, also played a vital role in the origin and development of the crooning tradition.

Crooning represented one of the most important musical styles of the twentieth century, intermingling with jazz and fronting the big band craze of the thirties and forties. Crooners spurred the rise of radio as home staple and the Golden Age of film musicals. When commercial television became a viable commodity, crooners anchored perhaps the first TV programming innovation, the variety show. It took the cataclysmic aesthetic and cultural changes ushered in by rock 'n' roll in the 1950s to finally bring crooners down from their pedestal.

The Rise of the Crooners examines the historical trends and events that led to the emergence of the crooning style. Ian Whitcomb, a successful popular music vocalist himself for almost 40 years, provides a personal perspective on this phenomenon. The lives and careers of six pioneers of the style—Bing Crosby, Russ Columbo, Gene Austin, Rudy Vallee, Johnny Marvin, and Nick Lucas—are covered at length. With the exception of one entry devoted to Crosby—possibly the greatest entertainer of the past century—these biographies (appended by lengthy bibliographies and discographies) are more thorough and up-to-date than any treatment in print about these seminal artists.

More books from Scarecrow Press

Cover of the book The A to Z of the Petroleum Industry by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book Historical Dictionary of Mesoamerica by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book Musical Instruments of the Bible by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book The A to Z of French Cinema by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book Voices in the Wilderness by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book Sports by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book Historical Dictionary of Kosovo by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book Historical Dictionary of Canada by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book Historical Dictionary of Sierra Leone by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt-Truman Era by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book The Conscience of the Folk Revival by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book The Green Library Planner by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book The Encyclopedia of Christian Literature by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book The Oliver Stone Encyclopedia by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
Cover of the book Word-By-Word Translations of Songs and Arias, Part I by Michael Pitts, Frank Hoffmann, Dick Carty, Jim Bedoian
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy