Legendary crooner Bing Cosby was deeply influenced bythe big-name Black performers of his time. In his book just published, “18 Holes with Bing: Golf, Life and Lessons From Dad,” Crosby’s son, Nathaniel Crosby, says their influence was integral to his dad’s performing style.
“When dad was singing in New York, he’d go uptown and he’d listen to Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and, of course, Louis Armstrong. And Louis Armstrong remained his sidekick throughout his career, whether it was on his radio shows, his television specials, or even in the last few years of his life, when Dad would be a guest on the Flip Wilson Show, at least two shows annually. Of course Louie Armstrong would be on the show. Dad wouldn’t do the show unless Louie Armstrong was on the show with him … A lot of his improvisation and ad-libbing in the songs themselves were because of this influence by Louie Armstrong and Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington.”
Bing was a national treasure, with tens of millions tuning in to his radios broadcasts, buying his hundreds of hit records and watching his many successful movies. Yet despite those accomplishments, Nathaniel says he and his brother had a lot of quality time on the golf course with their dad while growing up and that close relationship inspired him to write the book.
“What I wanted to get in my bucket list was to create a story of my unique childhood because my dad was so important to the country and what a great father he was to me. He used golf as a vehicle during his entire career of fifty-plus years; he found a way to play golf 360 days a year. He just loved it and was absolutely addicted. We spent so many days, countless thousands of rounds with dad on the golf course.”
Nathaniel Cosby was a guest on 790 KABC’s McIntyre in the Morning with Doug McIntyre and Terri-Rae Elmer.
By Sandy Wells
