Greetings, graceful viewers from around the globe, and welcome to a special Christmas edition of A Journey through Aesthetic Realms, featuring the one and only legendary American performer, Mr. Bing Crosby.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas Just like the ones I used to know. Where the treetops glisten, And children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

We opened our show with “White Christmas,” the biggest-selling single of all times according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Originally composed by Irving Berlin in 1940, Bing Crosby’s rendition of “White Christmas” was added to the United States National Recording Registry in 2002 and chosen by the Library of Congress as a historically significant recording.

It was also ranked as the second best song of the 20th century by the Recording Industry Association of America. Furthermore, Mr. Crosby’s version was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award which honors recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old.

On today’s show, we will learn more fascinating facts about Mr. Bing Crosby’s celebrated performing career, including his annual Christmas TV specials, his illustrious jazz history, plus other accolades and legacies.

The wonderful Mr. Crosby made over an estimated 2,000 commercial recordings during his life, which makes him the most recorded performer in music history. In fact, he has sold close to an astonishing one billion records, tapes, compact discs and digital downloads to date all over the world.

His annually televised Christmas specials from 1961 to 1974 filled millions of homes with holiday cheer and plenty of entertainment for the whole family. Let’s continue in the Christmas spirit by enjoying footage of his 1966 Christmas special accompanied by his lovely wife and adorable children. Together they sing another holiday classic originally composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, entitled “Silver Bells.”

Silver bells (Ring-a-ling) Silver bells (Hear them sing) It’s Christmas time in the city (Ring-aling-aling-aling) Ring-aling (Silver bells) Hear them sing (Silver bells) Tomorrow will be Christmas Day Everybody here on Christmas Hanging holly so green And the big tree is laden with treasures.

Well regarded as an American musical legacy, Bing Crosby’s career spanned over five decades. He was blessed with a rich bass-baritone voice and sang mostly traditional pop and jazz. Although Mr. Crosby couldn’t formally read music, his natural ability allowed him to memorize a song the first time he heard it!

Born Harry Lillis Crosby in 1903 in Tacoma, Washington, USA, he attended Gonzaga University to study law. But upon a friend’s invitation to join their band, he left Gonzaga and made it to the bustling jazz-mecca of New York City. It was here that Bing Crosby’s jazz career took off in the early 1930s.

He was taught jazz phrasing by the famous Dorsey Brothers and acclaimed jazz performer Bix Beiderbecke. It wasn’t long until he was part of a successful jazz vocal group named The Rhythm Boys. Ralph Gleason, a noted jazz writer, once described Mr. Crosby as “the personification of the whole jazz movement – the relaxed, casual, natural, uninhibited approach to art.”

Jazz legend Louis Armstrong added, “Bing’s voice has a mellow quality that only Bing’s got. It's like gold being poured out of a cup.” Here is an excellent example of Mr. Crosby’s swinging jazz talent called “Now You Has Jazz” from the popular 1956 movie “High Society.”

From the Equator up to the Pole Everybody winging, everybody singing Rock-rock-rock-rock rock and roll From the East to the West From the coast to the coast Jazz is king, jazz is the thing That folks …dig…most. And that’s jazz.

Ms. Kim Morgan, writer for the award-winning American publication “Huffington Post,” penned this review of Mr. Crosby’s singing: “Perhaps it's just how antiquated his music sounds today – beautifully, mysteriously antiquated, like something emerging from a dream.... when listening to the brilliant baritone sing ‘Pennies From Heaven,’ you feel the music form around you, as if you're riding on an ethereal echo chamber of air coming from a million miles away.” Let’s listen to the song “Pennies from Heaven” from the 1936 movie of the same name.

A long time ago A million years BC The best things in life Absolutely free. But no one appreciated A sky that was always blue. And no one congratulated A moon that was always new. So it was planned that they would vanish now and then And you must pay before you get them back again. That's what storms were made for And you shouldn't be afraid for Every time it rains it rains Pennies from Heaven.

Ever creative, Mr. Crosby combined pop, jazz, opera, classical and even international music on his TV shows. In 1967, the musical “Doctor Doolittle” was released and with it the Academy Award-winning song “If I Could Talk to the Animals.” Showing his easy-going side, Bing Crosby chose to sing this delightful song, performing it with his family during his 1967 Christmas TV special. Please enjoy.

If I could talk to the animals, just imagine it, Chatting with a chimp in chimpanzee, Imagine talking to a tiger, chatting with a cheetah, What a neat achievement it would be!

If we could talk with the animals, learn their languages, Maybe take an animal degree, (That’s elevating) We'd study elephant and eagle, buffalo and beagle, Alligator, guinea pig, and flea!

The approximately 2,000 recordings Mr. Bing Crosby made during his 51-year career as a vocalist have been unmatched. He sang on 4,000 radio shows from 1931 to 1962. His own radio show regularly attracted an unprecedented audience of 50 million listeners. During the 1940s, some of his songs gave a new optimism to multitudes of people and served as a beacon of hope over the airwaves. Such an example is this 1945 soulful rendition of the poem “In the Land of Beginning Again.”

Let's find that Paradise where sorrow can't live And learn the teachings of forget and forgive In the land of beginning again Where broken dreams come true

Would you believe that Bing Crosby’s recordings reached the charts an unprecedented 383 times as songs in the top 30s! Frank Sinatra shared these words of adoration about Mr. Crosby, “He was the father of my career, the idol of my youth and a dear friend of my maturity.” Let’s now enjoy one of Mr. Crosby’s Grammy Award-winning songs from the 1944 classic film, “Going My Way,” the touching Irish lullaby, ‘Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral.”

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral Too-ra-loo-ra-li Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral Hush now, don't you cry Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral Too-ra-loo-ra-li Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral That's an Irish lullaby.

Mindful of the fact that Christmas is celebrated for millions of people in summer-like weather, Mr. Bing Crosby also considerately released “Mele Kalikimaka” in 1950, which means “Merry Christmas” in Hawaiian.

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day. That's the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway. Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night. Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you.

As one of the most influential and best loved entertainers of the 20th century, Mr. Crosby received three stars on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame for Music, Radio, and Film. In addition, he was the recipient of an Academy Award for Best Actor for the movie “Going My Way” in 1944. Mr. Bing Crosby was very committed to advances in technology. His production company Bing Crosby Enterprises was instrumental in the invention of videotape recording in the early 1950s.

Furthermore, Bing Crosby’s giving spirit is evident in his establishment of a Charitable Golf Classic in 1947 which to date has raised over $85 million through the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.

Mr. Crosby also gifted audiences around the world with a number of other Christmas classics, like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Winter Wonderland.” On Mr. Crosby’s last TV performance in 1977, he sang a beautifully memorable duet with famous British singer and Grammy Award winner David Bowie. The song is called “Peace on Earth Little Drummer Boy.”

Every child must be made aware Every child must be made to care Care enough for his fellow man To give all the love that he can.

For more about Bing Crosby, please visit

May the wonderful melodies of Mr. Bing Crosby continue to enrich our world for many years to come, especially bringing joy at the blessed Christmas season.

Cheerful viewers, thank you for joining us today on A Journey through Aesthetic Realms. Coming up next on Supreme Master Television is Vegetarianism: The Noble Way of Living, right after Noteworthy News. May the holidays bring love, happiness, and peace to your hearts.

Merry Christmas May your New Year dreams come true And this song of mine in three-quarter time Wishes you and yours Happy Holidays! With Christmas bells ringing Happy Holidays to you…