From 1934 to 1954 and beyond, Bing Crosby utterly dominated American entertainment. Nobody had the the impact on radio or television that Crosby did; nor did anybody have as many hit records and his rise in Hollywood was unprecedented. In A Pocketful of Dreams, the first volume of the definitive Crosby biography, award-winning music critic Gary Giddins chronicles the ascension of Bing's career. From his early days in college minstrel shows and vaudeville, to his first hit recordings; from his eleven-year triumph as star of America's most popular radio show, to his first success in Hollywood teaming up with Bob Hope, Giddins provides the most detailed study yet of the rise of an American star. Bing Crosby reflected the aspirations and fears of America itself, and reinvented himself like no star before him ever had. His influence extended to Sinatra and Elvis, and far beyond. Published to coincide with the author's extensive partcipation in Ken Burns' 18-hour PBS documentary Jazz, A Pocketful of Dreams recaptures one of the richest chapters of American history, and firmly reclaims Crosby's place in it.