Bing was jailed on at least a couple occasions. Once overnight as a child for throwing stolen pies at cars, and again late in 1929, while Bing was in Los Angeles with the Whiteman Orchestra preparing to film a feature-length motion picture called The King of Jazz. The King of Jazz was extraordinary in that it was not only going to be a "talking picture," but it was also going to be filmed in color. Bing was supposed to sing with the Rhythm Boys in the movie, as well as a solo on Song of the Dawn. These plans changed abruptly when Bing was rear-ended while driving his date home from a night of partying on Nov. 2, 1929. His date landed against the windshield, and Bing landed in jail for drunken driving. Bing was escorted from the jail to the studio whenever he was scheduled to appear as one of the Rhythm Boys. However, Bing lost his chance to sing "Song of the Dawn" because of his incarceration. John Boles inherited the honor. The Rhythm Boys began to wear on Whiteman's nerves and he released them the following May.

How did the Rhythm Boys break up?
More Bing FAQs. ||| Bing's Home Page ||| Developed by Steven Lewis