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The Rhythm Boys

Male vocal group featuring Bing Crosby, Al Rinker and Harry Barris. The Rhythm Boys had their roots in the early 1920s when Bing began playing drums in a local Spokane band, called the Musicaladers, which was managed by Rinker. When the outfit broke up in 1925 Bing and Al headed to Los Angeles, where they sought the help of Rinker's sister to get into show business. They ended up in the vaudeville circuit, performing in theaters around California. Their big break came one night in 1926 when orchestra leader Paul Whiteman heard them sing and hired them.

They made their debut with Whiteman at the Tivoli Theater in Chicago in December 1926. Problems arose when the orchestra opened one month later at the Paramount Theatre in New York. The theatre didn't have electronic amplification, and the audience had difficulty hearing Crosby and Rinker's vocals. Whiteman removed them from the show.

Violinist Matty Malneck offered his help and arranged for Al and Bing to be teamed with Barris. Barris had written a tune called "Mississippi Mud," and with the help of Malneck the trio returned to the orchestra in March and turned the song into a hit. Now called "The Rhythm Boys," the group became Whiteman's star attraction over the next three years.

By 1930, though, the trio had worn their welcome thin. Their love for having a good time began to get in the way of their performances. Bing was arrested for drunken driving during the filming of the movie The King of Jazz, featuring Whiteman and his orchestra. He had to be escorted from jail to the studio whenever he was scheduled to appear. It was the last straw for Whiteman, who released the trio after the completion of the film.

The group soon found a job with Gus Arnheim's band at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles. Arnheim began pushing Bing to the forefront as a soloist, and in January 1931 Bing recorded his first solo hit, ''I Surrender Dear,'' written by Barris. The Grove had its own broadcast equipment, and Bing's voice was heard throughout California. Increasingly, crowds came to hear Bing, and the Rhythm Boys as a group receded to the background.

As Bing's popularity soared he began skipping performances at the club. The manager decided to dock his pay. Bing walked out in protest and took the Rhythm Boys with him. The manager persuaded the local musicians' union to ban the trio for breach of contract, and the Rhythm Boys were forced to dissolve. The trio performed together only one more time, July 4, 1943, on an NBC radio broadcast hosted by Whiteman. Both Crosby and Barris went on to successful careers in show business.