During the golden years of Hollywood, the enduring partnership between two of the world's greatest entertainers, Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong, spanned more than four decades.

The duo met in their youth, before either of them had found fame and fortune. Over the years, their friendship grew, based on their sense of fun and mutual admiration. They released a number of songs together that have become all-time greats and they starred in some classic movies.

Crosby, one of the most iconic singers and actors of all time, spoke in interviews of his great respect for Armstrong, the legendary trumpeter, vocalist, actor and composer. He said the happiest times of his long career had been spent with Armstrong.

 

Where did it all begin?

Crosby was born in 1903 in Tacoma, Washington. He enjoyed singing from a young age and by the 1920s, he was working in Chicago with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. Armstrong, born in 1901 in New Orleans, also settled in Chicago in his youth, to forge a career as a trumpeter and cornet player.

In 1926, at the age of 23, Crosby was urged to check out Armstrong's live show at the Sunset Café by fellow singer Mildred Bailey, who was already a fan. Armstrong had released a number of records, beginning with his debut single, Froggie Moore and Chimes Blues, in 1923, although with little commercial success.

Crosby grabbed a front row seat and was struck by Armstrong's amazing showmanship, which drew in the audience, combined with his unique vocals and sense of humour. Crosby and Armstrong began chatting after the show - a momentous moment in both their careers.

Crosby later described his friend as "the beginning and the end" of music and said he owed him a great debt. He learned a lot about jazz from Armstrong and incorporated the techniques into his own vocal style.

Armstrong had the same respect for Crosby, calling him a "natural genius". Crosby's singing style was known as "crooning" and Armstrong incorporated elements of his technique into his own vocals.

 

Show business career

Soon after meeting Armstrong in 1926, Crosby released his debut single, I've Got the Girl. Armstrong was very complimentary, describing Crosby's mellow voice as being like "gold poured out of a cup". He also said Crosby had a "big heart" and was "one of the finest guys" in the world.

In the 1930s, they began working together on Crosby's NBC radio show, Kraft Music Hall, where Armstrong was a regular guest artist. This was the start of their lifelong partnership playing together on the radio.

They also made many films together, their debut movie being Pennies From Heaven, in 1936. Crosby had already become a film star by the 1930s, but on his insistence, Armstrong was given equal billing on the promotional posters. The film's soundtrack album was a big commercial success.

They then released a double album, Havin' Fun, containing their recordings made on radio shows between 1949 and 1951, combined with witty ad-libbing and humorous asides from Jack Teagarden, who played the trombone on the songs.

 

Gone Fishin'

Their most famous big-screen collaborations included the Frank Capra film, Here Comes the Groom, in 1951, which included a jam session which also featured Dorothy Lamour.

The same year, Crosby and Armstrong debuted one of their most famous hit songs, Gone Fishin’, playing it live on the radio with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra.

So popular was the song with the studio audience that Decca released it as a single soon afterwards. It reached number 19 in the US singles chart. The song had been written in 1950 by songwriting brothers Charles and Nick Kenny.

There were several cover versions released, but Crosby and Armstrong's version is the one that's still played on the radio today, 67 years after it was first recorded.

The song is about two buddies who hang out together, but one of them decides he'd rather go fishing than do anything else, so he's never at home and his gardening tools are left unused outside.

Ad-libbing the song to make it their own, Crosby took the role of the man who had gone fishin' all the time, while Armstrong played his pal, who pulled him up about always being at the riverbank!

Armstrong says, "Papa Bing!" to which Crosby replies, "Yeah, Louis?" and then Armstrong tells his pal, "I stopped by your place a time or two lately and you aren't home."

Crosby replies, "I'm a busy man, Louis. I got a lotta deals cookin' - I was probably tied up at the studio," but Armstrong knows he's lying and says, "Every time I go out to your place, you've gone fishin'!"

Crosby asks him how he knows and Armstrong replies there's a sign on his door that says, "Gone fishin'!" at a shady pool. Eventually, by the end of the song, Armstrong has given up trying to spur Crosby into taking responsibility for the jobs he's supposed to do.

Instead, Armstrong joins Crosby and his "hound dog" on the river bank and the song concludes with them both singing, "Folks won't find us now because Mister Satch and Mister Cros, we've gone fishin'."

Satch was Armstrong's nickname and having the ad-libbed conversation between the two of them gave the song a very realistic and personal feeling – probably one of the reasons it was so popular with fans!

 

High Society

The legendary MGM movie, High Society, was one of the duo's most famous success stories in 1956. With an all-star cast including Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Celeste Holm, the memorable score was composed by the great Cole Porter. Crosby later said it was his favourite movie of all those he had made.

During filming, Armstrong and his band the All-Stars entertained the cast and crew with impromptu jamming sessions and banter between takes.

One of the film's most famous songs was Armstrong and Crosby's rendition of Now You Has Jazz, when Crosby adopted a swing style. The film grossed $8.25 million at the box office and received two Academy Award nominations.

 

Later career

In the 1960s, Crosby and Armstrong continued to record together and released the album, Bing and Satchmo, which contained 12 songs, with music provided by the Billy May Orchestra. Tracks included At the Jazz Band Ball and Rocky Mountain Moon.

Crosby had great memories of recording the album, because it was always a pleasure to be around Armstrong. In fact, Crosby said he "never met anyone who didn't love" Armstrong.

The album was described as a "labour of love" for composer John Mercer, who wrote some of the tracks, because he admired Armstrong and described him as great fun to work with.

Crosby and Armstrong appeared together on TV for the last time in 1967 on the show, Hollywood Palace. Their appearance ended with them walking through the closing curtains together, leaving a poignant memory for viewers.

In their private lives, they were friends until Armstrong died in July 1971. Six years later, Crosby died in October 1977, marking the end of an era that began with their partnership in the early years of Hollywood.

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