He was the youngest of seven children: five boys, Larry (1895-1975), Everett (born 1896), Ted (born 1900), Harry (1903-1977, popularly known as Bing Crosby) and Bob; and two girls, Catherine (born 1905) and Mary Rose (born 1907). His parents were English-American bookkeeper Harry Lowe Crosby (1871-1950) and Irish-American Catherine Harrigan (1873-1964), (affectionately known as Kate), the daughter of a builder from County Mayo in Ireland. His paternal ancestors Thomas Prence and Patience Brewster were born in England and immigrated to the U.S. in the 17th century; Brewster's family came over on the Mayflower.
Bob Crosby started singing with Anson Weeks (1931-34) and the Dorsey Brothers (1934-35). He led his first band in 1935, when the former members of Ben Pollack's band elected him as titular leader. His most famous band, the Bob-Cats, was a Dixieland jazz group with members from the Bob Crosby Orchestra. Both the Bob Crosby Orchestra and the smaller Bob-Cats group specialized in Dixieland jazz, presaging the traditional jazz revival of the 1940s. Crosby's singing voice was remarkably similar to that of his brother Bing, but without its range.
The Bob Crosby Orchestra and the Bob Cats included (at various times) Yank Lawson, Billy Butterfield, Muggsy Spanier, Matty Matlock, Irving Fazola, Ward Silloway, Warren Smith, Eddie Miller, Joe Sullivan, Bob Zurke, Jess Stacy, Nappy Lamare, Bob Haggart, Walt Yoder, Jack Sperling, and Ray Bauduc.
Hits included "Summertime" (theme song), "In a Little Gypsy Tea Room," "Whispers in The Dark," "South Rampart Street Parade," "March of the Bob Cats," "Day In, Day Out," "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," "Dolores" and "New San Antonio Rose" (last three with Bing Crosby). A remarkable bass and drums duet between Haggart and Bauduc, "Big Noise From Winnetka," became a hit in 1938-39.
Tea for Two
Bob Crosby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just tea for two
And two for tea
Just me for you
And you for me alone
Nobody near us to see us or hear us
No friends or relations
We won't have it known, dear
That we own a telephone, dear
Day will break and you'll awake
And start to bake a sugar cake
For me to take for all the boys to see
We will raise a family
A boy for you, a girl for me
Oh, can't you see how happy we would be
The lyrics to Bob Crosby's song "Tea For Two" describe a romantic scene where the singer envisions being close to their loved one with tea, just the two of them. They are alone with no one around them to interrupt, watching the daybreak as they begin their life together. The singer provides a sense of privacy by talking about not allowing anyone else to know their business by owning a telephone. The sense of domesticity is also conveyed through the mention of baking sugar cake and starting a family, with a boy for the beloved and a girl for the singer. The song ends on a note of happiness and love.
Overall, the lyrics of "Tea For Two" are evocative of a simpler and more innocent time, where the focus was on love, tea, and family. There is a sense of longing and romance that underpins the entire song, with the singer rhapsodizing on the idea of being with their beloved and starting a new life together. The lyrics are also rooted in the idea of privacy and intimacy, with the singer imagining a world where they are alone and free to be together without any outside interference.
Line by Line Meaning
Picture you upon my knee
Imagining you sitting close to me
Just tea for two
Only needing enough tea for the two of us
And two for tea
Enough tea for us to share
Just me for you
Being solely devoted to each other
And you for me alone
Having each other's undivided attention
Nobody near us to see us or hear us
Being completely alone in our intimacy
No friends or relations
Not having anyone else in our lives
On weekend vacations
Spending time together out of town
We won't have it known, dear
Hiding our relationship from others
That we own a telephone, dear
Preferring to keep our daily communication private
Day will break and you'll awake
After a night of love and companionship
And start to bake a sugar cake
Baking a sweet treat for me in the morning
For me to take for all the boys to see
Proudly showing off our love and happiness
We will raise a family
Growing our life together
A boy for you, a girl for me
Having children together
Oh, can't you see how happy we would be
Expressing excitement for our future together
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Irving Caesar, Vincent Youmans
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mario DJ
Tea For Two es una obra de arte musical que lindo es escucharla todos los que grabaron este tema como Bob Crosby, Edmundo Ross y otros se llenaron de gala el creador de este tema musical escribió una historia imborrable en el pentagrama musical saludes a todos....................................
Tea For Two is a work of musical art that is cute hear all they recorded this as Bob Crosby, Edmundo Ross and other gala filled with the creator of this musical theme wrote an indelible story on the musical staff greet everyone .. ..................................
Solitude Forest
Strutting round in the summer to this legend
David Todora
Man, this jazz rendition is "ALL THAT" Awesome!!
Zane Wuffy
im subscribing to you because i love record restoration. just great.
Barry I. Grauman
Recorded on March 10, 1938, and originally issued on {American} Decca 1850. After this one, there was a seven month "break" until Crosby's next Decca recording that October. Just like it was "cut" yesterday......
Danny Chin
awesome record and arrangement, Kudos the sound is so clean!
Anthony Faria
Bob Zurke was a amazing on the piano.
brainy
Wonderful work Ade! You are amazing.
Ade Gregg
Thanks Lobrein, I'd LOVE to be involved in any project to restore all of Mr Zurks work. He was one of the finest in his day and all i have is a few worn out 78's of his. any record companies out there?
SSJ1Igor
I asked my parents and they said how he was very famous (and I live in Serbia, which is in central Europe), and everybody loved him back in the days. I think he's perhaps underrated now, but back then, I guess he had some sort of fame. It's not just him, its the whole genre that's unrecognized and underrated in my opinion. I really wish classy clubs would open again with this sort of music and classy stuff. God Fallout 3 changed my taste so much <3 Love it