Bing Crosby had four brothers and two sisters who provided him with numerous nieces and nephews. One of these, his sister Mary Rose's daughter Carolyn, had aspirations of being in show business.

The logical next step after graduation was for Carolyn to contact her Uncle Bing, to ask for help and advice. Fortunately she enjoyed a warm relationship with Bing, having spent summer vacations visiting him and other Crosby family members in Los Angeles. As a child she enjoyed pool parties, visits to Paramount Studios and Bing's dressing room on the lot. How ironic it was then, that years later Bing would plan for her to live with him briefly and then arrange for her to be hired by Paramount.

As the years rolled by, Bing continued to be involved in Carolyn's life: there were invitations to dinner parties, the Crosby Pro-Am golf tournament, family Christmas parties, vacations at his Elko, Nevada, ranch, as well as other locations where Bing maintained additional homes.

On a personal level, the author tells of Bing's generosity to her, both financially and in valuable advice and counsel. In contrast to reports of Bing as 'cold and aloof", Carolyn recalls an uncle that was caring and concerned about her welfare, always ready and willing to lend a helping hand. Carolyn also discusses her connection to Dixie Lee, Bing's first wife and their four sons.

To the delight of Bing's fans, both old and new, there are over one hundred photos, many from the private collections of the Crosby family. The book concludes with mention of the tributes to her uncle Bing over the past several years. In the epilogue, a curious set of circumstances surrounds the lives of Bing and singer Russ Columbo.

Me and Uncle Bing is a must for the millions of fans of this incomparable entertainer.

A review by legendary Hollywood columnist James Bacon

Carolyn Schneider, Bing Crosby’s niece, has written one of the better books about Bing -- Me and Uncle Bing. It was so good, I read the whole book in one sitting.

Carolyn is the only daughter of Mary Rose, Bing’s sister, whom I knew very well. Carolyn’s book is the most intimate portrait of Bing and his family I’ve ever read. So much different from Bing’s oldest son Gary’s book. Gary, for some strange reason, wrote a “Daddy Dearest” book, painting Bing as a tyrant father, which he was not. Gary’s brother Phil was furious about Gary’s book, which Phil called “A vicious pack of lies.” The two brothers had a well publicized feud over the book. Phil said that Gary did the exposé purely for the money, knowing that only a negative book sold copies.

Carolyn’s book discloses something I had never known—that Bing did one Las Vegas show. The casinos always were after Bing, offering him fabulous salaries to perform in the gambling mecca.

"Carolyn’s book is the most intimate portrait of Bing and his family I’ve ever read."

“I won’t be a shill for gamblers,” Bing once told me. One priest, however, got Bing to Vegas to benefit his church. Carolyn says he did a one night concert at the Aladdin hotel, bringing along Rosemary Clooney and Joey Bushkin to help the priest build a new Catholic church.

Carolyn’s book paints Bing as a warm, generous man contrary to previous books by authors who never knew him, portraying him as a cold fish.

The Bing I knew was a warm, fun-loving guy who was the best celebrity golfer ever, playing to a scratch handicap. He still holds the all-time recording title. His “White Christmas,” long ago passed the 50 million mark and still sells a million records every Christmas, 30 years after his death on a Spanish golf course.

-James Bacon, Beverly Hills 213 magazine

A review from Norm Clarke of the Las Vegas Review-Journal

Carolyn Schneider's childhood memories of her uncle Bing Crosby are, in the words of his most famous song, merry and bright.

Her early years were spent in the company of Hollywood giants at Crosby's Pro-Am golf tournament and on the set or in the commissary at Paramount Studios.

Among her most treasured photographs is one of Bob Hope wearing a dress on the set of The Lemon Drop Kid.

"When you grow up in a celebrity family, you take things for granted," said Schneider, a Las Vegas resident.

With the 30th anniversary of Crosby's death this year, Schneider has drawn the attention of the British Broadcasting Corp. because of her book, Me & Uncle Bing.

The BBC has a six-part series coming up on Crosby, one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century and an Oscar-winning actor (Going My Way).

"With the 30th anniversary of Crosby's death this year, Schneider has drawn the attention of the British Broadcasting Corp. because of her book, Me & Uncle Bing."

Schneider was taken under the protective wing of her iconic uncle when his sister (Schneider's mother) encountered a serious gambling problem when she picked up his love of betting the ponies.

Uncle Bing may not have been a saint, but he treated his niece like royalty.

When she took an early interest in theater, he paid her way through college and got her in a private dormitory reserved for young women pursuing entertainment careers.

There she met Barbara Huffman, a nightclub dancer who wanted to be an actress. After a nose job, Huffman changed her name to Barbara Eden. Another friend, Marilyn Novak, had her name changed to Kim Novak by her studio.

But Schneider's fondest memories are of the annual family Christmas parties that ended with Uncle Bing standing next to the piano from "High Society" and singing "White Christmas."