Bing Crosby and David Bowie

This evening my husband bought the CD Now That's What I Call Xmas. It's a compilation of Christmas songs that are popular in Britain. It includes one of our long time favorites Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth.

One of the more unusual moments in pop music history took place Sept. 11, 1977, when the leading American singer of the first half of the Twentieth Century met and performed with one of the more innovative musicians of the last half of the Century. Bing Crosby was in London on a concert tour and to tape his yearly TV Christmas special. It was Bing's idea that he should have a young star as a guest on his TV show. Someone suggested David Bowie.

The idea was that he and Bowie would perform "The Little Drummer Boy" as a duet. Bowie felt the song did not showcase his voice very well, so the writers added "Peace on Earth," which suited Bowie's voice quite well. The two met for the first time on the morning of the taping, rehearsed for an hour and finished their duet in only three takes.

Bing died a month later. The public did not see their performance until after his death.