Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Cocktail Hour: Bing Crosby Duets - Bing Crosby on AllMusic - 2001 In the mid-1950s, he had his own radio program, the Gary Crosby Show on CBS. Their first two recordings, "Sam's Song" and "Play a Simple Melody," were recorded when Gary was 16 years old and released as "Gary Crosby and Friend." The musical variety program debuted June 6, 1954, as a summer replacement for Bing Crosby's show. As an actor, Crosby appeared in many television programs. His eldest son Gary Crosby wrote a scathing memoir about his father after Bing died in 1977, calling him cruel and abusive. (The single was billed to "Gary Crosby and Friend.") 30 Wild David Bowie Duets and Collaborations John Lennon, Cher, Bing Crosby and more On March 20, 1955, he appeared on the Jack Benny Program Season 5, Episode 13. Actor. Bing's oldest son, Gary, seemed the most talented to Bing and the most interested in a career in show business.Bing helped his son break into the business by recording nine duets with him for commercial release in the early '50s. 22 songs starring Bing Crosby with Peggy Lee, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, The Andrews Sisters, Bob Hope, Louis Jordan, Johnny Mercer, Fred Astaire and Gary Crosby. Bing Crosby ranked as the most successful pop singles artist in the U.S. in 1950 largely as a result of the recordings found on this album, nine of which reached the Billboard charts, led by the two-sided Top Five hit "Play a Simple Melody"/"Sam's Song," both duets between Crosby and his 16-year-old eldest son.