"The Rise of the Crooners examines the historical trends and events that led to the emergence of the crooning style. In the introduction Ian Whitcomb, a successful popular music vocalist for almost forty years, provides a personal perspective on this phenomena. In addition, the lives and careers of six pioneers of the style - Gene Austin, Russ Columbo, Bing Crosby, Nick Lucas, Johnny Marvin, and Rudy Vallee - are covered at length. With the exception of the entry devoted to Crosby, possibly the greatest entertainer of the past century, the biographies (appended by lengthy bibliographies and discographies) are more thorough and up-to-date than any treatment in print about these seminal artists."--BOOK JACKET.