Bing Crosby opened up on truth about nickname origins ‘Now I’m Bing’

Talking Pictures: Bing Crosby chats about reported feud with Sinatra

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Talking Pictures takes a look at TV appearances made over the years by Bing Crosby. The BBC programme showcases interviews from the archive and classic clips documenting the highlights of the actor’s career. In one clip from 1965, Bing opened up on the origin of his name during an interview on the Late Night Line-up.

The interviewer asked: “Now your name isn’t really Bing, is it?”

Bing revealed his name was in fact, Harry.

“Where did the Bing come about?” The interviewer questioned. 

“Oh way way back I guess when I was a child,” he answered. 

Read more: Bing Crosby unveiled truth about rumoured Sinatra feud before death

“There was a comic strip called the Bingville Bugle in our newspapers and there was a character named Bingo in there.

“Somehow or another they called me Bingo and then they knocked off the ‘o’ and now I’m Bing.”

The interviewer quipped: “So it’s been Bing since you were very small?”

“Since I was small,” the singer and actor confirmed. 

Harry Lillis Crosby Jr. was known professionally as Bing Crosby.

She asked: “Now the other tag is the classic old groaner one, where did that come from?”

The iconic singer explained American trombonist Tommy Dorsey gave him the nickname.

The jazz composer and conductor was a bandleader of the big band era.

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“We used to work together a lot, he was with [Paul] Whiteman when I was with Whiteman,” he said.

“And later he had his own band and I did some shows with him.

“We were very old friends and he added that cognomen on me.”

“You’re the classic crooner but where does the phrase crooner come from?” The Late Night Line-up host asked. 

“I think it started with Rudy Vallée, he was a crooner the first one I can remember.”

“He sang with a megaphone at first in front of his band and later with radio with a microphone and a PA system.”

“I think he was the first crooner,” Bing added.

Talking Pictures: Bing Crosby is available on BBC iPlayer. 

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