Swing With Bing This Weekend

Nostalgia/Big Band WMKV-FM (89.3 and http://www.wmkvfm.org/) blows out regular programming this weekend for "#0 Hours with Bing," to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Bing Crosby's death, one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century.

Starting at noon Saturday, WMKV-FM will air Bing's best songs, duets and old radio broadcasts, including some overseas World War II shows never heard in the U.S. The 30-hour marathon -- until 6 p.m. Sunday -- also includes interviews with jazz critic and Bing biographer Gary Giddins and producer Ken Barnes , and Bing's collaborations with jazz legends Bix Beiderbecke and Louis Armstrong, rocker David Bowie, comedian Bob Hope and singers Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney and others.

"The Big Broadcast" old-time radio show 7-11 p.m. Saturday will be a "Bing Broadcast," with rare audio such as 1930 recording of Bing as a band singer to his final radio series in 1962 (with Rosemary Clooney), and cuts from some of his 3,400 radio shows.

Bing, who died at age 75 on Oct. 14, was a multimedia superstar. His "White Christmas" is the most popular record ever. He had 396 hits from 1927 to 1962, as a solo artist and band singer. He had 38 No. 1 hits (compared to 24 by the Beatles and 18 by Elvis). He was the No. 1 box office star of the World War II era (1944-48).

Bing also helped revolutionize recording technology, by financing and popularizing the development of audio tape. In 1946 he was the first to record his ABC show for radio, which was a live performance medium until that time.

This will be a real treat for those of whom Bing was soundtrack to their lives.