The Rhythm Boys
| The Rhythm Boys | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City |
| Genres | Popular |
| Years active | 1927-1931 |
| Labels | Victor, Columbia Records |
| Associated acts | Gus Arnheim, Duke Ellington, Paul Whiteman |
| Members | |
The Rhythm Boys were a male singing trio consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. Crosby and Rinker began performing together in 1925 and were recruited by Paul Whiteman in late 1926. Pianist/singer/songwriter Barris joined the team in 1927. They made a number of recordings with the Whiteman Orchestra and released singles in their own right with Barris on piano. They appeared with the Whiteman orchestra in the film King of Jazz (Universal Pictures, 1930), in which they sang "Mississippi Mud", "So the Bluebirds and the Blackbirds Got Together", "A Bench in the Park", and "Happy Feet". They are best remembered for launching Crosby's solo career, one that would make him the greatest song charting act in history and one of the most influential entertainers of the twentieth century.
Bing Crosby, making probably his greatest purchase, bought a pair of drums. Al Rinker's high school band called the Musicaladers (musical aiders) had to let go of their drummer. Somebody told them Bing had a pair of drums and he was pretty good. Rinker met Crosby. They had mixed success and Bing was slowly finding less interest in becoming a lawyer, his original career path. They drove Rinker's Model T to Los Angeles where Rinker's sister, Mildred Bailey, a locally known jazz singer, was working. Shortly after their arrival, they landed a gig on the vaudeville circuit, as a vocal act.
Bing and Al Rinker began as a minor part of The Syncopation Idea, a short revue put out by the Fanchon and Marco agency, and it was there that they started to develop as entertainers. They had a lively and individual style and they were particularly popular with college students. After The Syncopation Idea closed, Bing and Al obtained work in the Will Morrissey Music Hall Revue which must have been fascinating if insecure. However, their skills were further honed during their time with Morrissey and when they subsequently had the chance to present their own independent act, they blossomed. Some members of Paul Whiteman's Orchestra caught their act and recommended them to him. Whiteman hired them in October 1926. While waiting to join Whiteman's Orchestra they made their first record "I've Got the Girl" with Don Clark's Orchestra (a former member of Whiteman's Orchestra) at The Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles (506 South Grand Ave.). Bing and Al then joined the Whiteman Orchestra in Chicago, where they made their first records with Whiteman.
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