Billy Crosbie


	Home News Bands Musicians Special Events Charities Kinsale Albums Gallery Bookings Contact		Billy’s Dream! This concept, bringing the music of Edward Chester Babcock to a small group of people, in an intimate setting, is a long-held dream of Billy Crosbie. Billy loves the music of the early 20th century composers Gershwin, Porter, Berlin etc. as is evident by his work in Kinsale, over the last twenty years. He is very associated with Dixieland Jazz in Kinsale, but, his real passion is for the beautiful melodies written by these great composers. Billy has been collecting Edward Chester Babcock songs from his extensive music library, over the last 20 years. While we all know these great composers of popular songs, Edward Chester Babcock seems to have slipped through the net, even though, we all know, and love many of his songs. He wrote songs for many artistes like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and included in his repertoire are; All the Way, Swinging on a Star and Come Fly with Me. To quote Billy, “George Gershwin is definitely my favourite composer of that era, but, running close behind, is Edward Chester Babcock. This composer wrote some of the most beautiful and melodic songs of the 20^th century. He instinctively knew how to write ‘swing’ songs for Crosby, Sinatra and Martin etc., but the beauty of his love ballads are really something special, as you will undoubtedly hear, at our recitals in the Blue Haven. I don’t believe the man ever wrote a poor or unmelodic song. The range of his repertoire is quite broad, from well-known ‘fun’ songs, through ‘swing’ classics, to downright spine-tingling gorgeous ballads. You will instantly recognize many of them, but be prepared for some new and lovely surprises along the way. I have always had a huge love of this man’s talent and portfolio and I hope that all of you get an opportunity to attend and enjoy these special nights." Billy would like to thank the committee of the Kinsale Arts Festival particularly, Marita Doyle, and Ciaran Fitzgerald, General Manager, Blue Haven Hotel for their encouragement and support for Billy’s Dream! Billy has arranged a fine team for these special nights. Vocalists: Kathy Nugent (Dublin); Jimmy O’Byrne (Dublin); Susan Crosbie (Kinsale) supported by Billy Crosbie (piano); Australian virtuoso Ian Date (guitar) and George Hart (Double bass). The narrator is Mr. Kevin Goggin, well known local orator and fine violinist.




	EDWARD CHESTER BABCOCK Legend has it that Frank Sinatra would happily have swapped places with pianist, composer-publisher, Oscar-winning, entrepreneur, amateur and noted general extrovert Edward Chester Babcock. As the record stands, Sinatra remained Sinatra – if only to be royally supplied with a long and constant stream of hits. Babcock won immortality not only by writing film-music for Bing Crosby, but also for his scores to all but the first of the ‘Road’ series, which saw him finally personified as ‘Chester Babcock’ by Bob Hope in the 1962 Road To Hong Kong. The son of a building contractor, Babcock was born in Syracuse, New York State on January 26, 1913. From an early age he displayed musical talent at both cornet and piano. While still at high school, he worked as an announcer, played piano and sang on local radio. He also, upon purchasing a shirt in Macy’s of New York City, changed his name for the radio shows to Jimmy Van Heusen. Despite his father’s wish that he should enter the family business, in the early 30’s he enrolled at Syracuse University under music and composition. He studied voice under Howard Lyman, wrote songs for college shows and via fellow-student Jerry Arlen, met up with the latter’s more famous brother Harold (Wizards of Oz, One for My baby, World on a String etc. composer), through whose good connections, in 1933 he found himself writing for fashionable and prestigious Harlem Cotton Club revues. Thus steered unequivocally towards a career in Tin Pan Alley, Jimmy soon found the road both arduous and competitive, and notwithstanding a fun-loving, positively outgoing personality, survival became, at least during those early Depression years, a struggle. He took a range of odd jobs including during World War 2 and after, he assisted the U.S. air force by lending his services as a test pilot to the Lochheed Corporation, but his enthusiasm for aviation never undermined his song-writing activities. He spent a lot of time around the fringes of the Rat Pack and in the most recent movie he is one of the people around the table when J.F.K calls to visit the gang in California prior to his election. Jimmy’s songs have been recorded and sung by all the legends of that era, Crosby, Sinatra, Martin, Harry James, Artie Shaw, Glen Miller, Fats Waller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Jo Stafford, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Shore, Judy Garland. The list is endless, and he collaborated with many lyricists and fellow composers, such as Johnny Burke, Sammy Cahn, Buddy Kaye, Mack Gordon, etc. Jimmy Van Heusen died at Rancho Mirage, California, on February 7 1990, aged 77.