Russ Columbo's "Complete Studio Recordings" The recording industry of the late 1920s wasn’t unlike the Internet of today: new technologies like microphones and radio were replacing the old media types and the younger generation wanted only what was new. This isn’t to say that the old media weren’t popular -- singer Billy Murray was the first person to sell one million records, and superstars such as Enrico Caruso, John McCormack, Al Jolson, and Eddie Cantor were wildly popular in genres (opera and Broadway) that are mere niches today. But when the electronic microphone was invented in the mid 1920s, the old styles of recording were out. No longer did singers have to shout into acoustic recording horns; now singing could be more intimate and thoughtful. Dozens of new vocalists made literally thousands of records, and while such names as Scrappy Lambert, Dick Robertson, and Irving Kaufman are now known only to collectors, two singers quickly rose to the top: Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo (whose 101st birthday on January 14th we note today). Both men were quickly signed to appear in movies, and were neck-and-neck in popularity until the night of September 2, 1934, when 26-year-old Columbo was visiting a friend, photographer Lansing Brown. Brown was showing Columbo a pair of antique dueling pistols when one accidentally went off, sending a ancient lead pellet ricocheting off a mahogany desk and into Columbo’s brain, fatally wounding him. That would seem a bizarre enough ending to the story, but it was only the beginning. Columbo's aged mother, Julia, had been hospitalized a few days earlier with a serious heart ailment, and her doctors determined that telling her about her son's death would be fatal. Columbo's friends, family, and fiancée (actress Carole Lombard), decided that Lombard would send Mrs. Columbo a postcard saying that she and Russ had eloped to New York and would see her soon. Mrs. Columbo soon recovered, but the ruse continued -- for a decade. Lombard and other friends kept up a continuous stream of postcards, letters, telegrams, and messages explaining why Russ couldn't visit his mother, but would see her soon. Despite newspaper and magazine articles that detailed the deception, Julia never caught on -- and eventually outlived her daughter, her husband, and even Lombard herself -- finally passing away peacefully in 1944, nearly ten years after her son had died. Suggested Sites... Russ Columbo: Hollywood's Tragic Crooner - details Columbo's life and death. Who's Dating Who: Russ Columbo - who the crooner was romantically linked to. You Tube: Russ Columbo - watch Russ sing and act. Larchmont Chronicle: Preservation Notebook - feature on the house where the fatal shooting occurred. Virtual Victrola: Russ Columbo - all sorts of information, downloads, video, and audio clips.

Directory categories: Russ Columbo, Jazz Vocalists, Bing Crosby, Recording, Musical Movies

Archived under: 1920s, 1930s, Actors, Birthdays, Celebrations, Conspiracies, Dead Celebrities, Death, Entertainment, Hollywood, Music, Music History, Mysteries, Secrets, Vintage, Weird Stuff

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