Normally I present a free full album daily on the appropriately titled Free Albums Galore but the only way to justify today’s offering is by calling it a free box set… a huge free box set. Here are 222 episodes of the CBS radio program The Bing Crosby-Rosemary Clooney Show.

The radio program appeared from 1960 to 1962 and was aired late morning targeting a women audience. Bing Crosby was the quintessential crooner and was at the top of his form having started as a band singer in the 20s with the Paul Whiteman orchestra. While he continued to entertain up to his death in 1977, the vocalist was pretty much at his peak in the early 60s. Rosemary Clooney was also in the prime of her career. She was the one of the best of the traditional pop singers throughout the 50s and on. She continued to record regularly, with her later Concord records having a more jazz inflected style, up until her death in 2002. These 20 minute episodes reflect the mainstream style that both singers developed as their trademark. The programs are all pretty much in the same mold; a theme song, some well worn banter and a series of songs sung solo and in duet. The dialogue is pretty ingratiating. I generally speed through it and get to the music. But the songs are all top notch, many of them repeated in several episodes. This is easy listening vocal music at its best performed by two of the most important vocalists of this style of pop.

The tracks are provided by The Old Time Radio Researcher’s Group in 64kbps MP3 format.

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