Really, this is a 5 star review, but it ends so abruptly, I felt a bit cheated having to depend on Google and Wikipedia to learn the rest of the story. A short afterward of what followed in the years after would have been enough to hold me over until the next volume (nowhere in sight) is released.

Now that my griping is out of the way: Gary Giddens wrote an amazing and thorough biography of Mr. Crosby. Giddens makes a solid argument for Crosby changing the way music was sung, recorded, and sold—Giddens disproves the notion, for instance, that Steinweiss came up with the first album cover, a distinction that belongs to Decca producer Jack Kapp who conceived it.

He praises Bing, but also presents his flaws (albeit through the eyes of a forgiving fan). It's really well handled and a fantastic read.