by Harry on mandolin or guitar, and by a glowing fire in winter, Kate’s contralto fused with Harry’s tenor on “When Irish
Eyes Are Smiling,” “Sweet Adeline,” “In the Good Old Summer Time,” and “Mother Machree,” among others. Harry conducted a male
quartet that included himself, Bing, Larry, and Ev. Ted, an inveterate tinkerer, kept his distance from the harmonizing but
a few years later made his own valiant contribution by building a crystal radio that picked up new songs from a station in
Seattle.
The girls took turns at the piano, recently transported from the house in Tacoma. Harry paid fifteen dollars for cartage,
the price of a new suit he was obliged to sacrifice. It was a present for Kate, who wanted the girls to learn how to play
and needed cheering up. Her childless sister, Annie, had written to boast how well her husband was doing and rubbed salt in
the wound by offering to adopt Kay (Catherine). 25 Only in her children was Kate richer than Annie, yet she made it clear she appreciated the offer and was inclined to consent.
This time, Harry put his foot down. They were not so poor that they had to farm out one of their children. By way of saying
no, thank you, he reclaimed her piano. Kay quickly revealed musical talent and promised to be a beauty. Kate envisioned stardom
for her.
It wasn’t Dad, but a member of Kate’s family — her youngest brother, George, then a robust man in his early thirties — who
became Bing’s first idea of an exemplary performer. An enthusiastic amateur, George made frequent visits from the coast. Bing
adoredhim and spent many hours at his side. In later years, when Bing reminisced about George, his voice would rise a couple of
tones and the phrases would tumble out with a cantering dispatch:
My mother had a brother, George Harrigan, a great singer in the Tacoma-Seattle area. He was a court reporter in the local
legislature and also in the courts in Seattle and Tacoma, and of course his theme song was “Harrigan,” taken from the Cohan
song. And he was the biggest favorite singing around that area that ever occurred there. He was a great guy and had a terrific
voice — big, high, loud,
powerful
tenor. Anytime he appeared, everybody’d holler, “Harrigan,” and he’d go: “H-A-double R-I-G-A-N spells Harrigan / Divil a
man can say a word agin me,” and I learned a lot just watching him. He could tell stories in any dialect you ever heard of.
He should have gone into show business, but he married young, had about five or six children, and never could get away. He’d
have been a sensational star with his ability to do dialect stories and sing. He was six foot two, black hair with blue eyes.
Handsome man. 26
During Christmas 1912 Kate, nearing forty, revealed that for the first time in six years she was pregnant. The timing was
propitious. Inland Brewery’s tank capacity increased by another 25,000 barrels, and Harry received a raise and a new title
— cashier. Spokane felt flush. Five years before, Barnum & Bailey’s circus elephants refused to step onto the steel Monroe
Street Bridge, which collapsed shortly afterward. Now its replacement was completed and was touted as the longest concrete
span in the country. Spokane boasted sixty-two miles of paved streets, 600 miles of concrete walks, thirty-five public schools,
ten hospitals and asylums, 112 churches. The Spokane-Coeur d’Alene interurban electric railway, leaving every few minutes,
transported thousands of swimmers and picnickers to Liberty Lake, the area’s most popular resort. The fabulous Davenport Hotel,
designed by architect Kirtland Cutter at a cost of $3 million, opened its doors in 1914, attracting celebrities and royalty
with its glass pillars and lobby birds, plumbing that siphoned drinking water to every room, and a washing machine to polish
silver money.
Even the entertainment world rallied. After city officials banned box
Eyes Are Smiling,” “Sweet Adeline,” “In the Good Old Summer Time,” and “Mother Machree,” among others. Harry conducted a male
quartet that included himself, Bing, Larry, and Ev. Ted, an inveterate tinkerer, kept his distance from the harmonizing but
a few years later made his own valiant contribution by building a crystal radio that picked up new songs from a station in
Seattle.
The girls took turns at the piano, recently transported from the house in Tacoma. Harry paid fifteen dollars for cartage,
the price of a new suit he was obliged to sacrifice. It was a present for Kate, who wanted the girls to learn how to play
and needed cheering up. Her childless sister, Annie, had written to boast how well her husband was doing and rubbed salt in
the wound by offering to adopt Kay (Catherine). 25 Only in her children was Kate richer than Annie, yet she made it clear she appreciated the offer and was inclined to consent.
This time, Harry put his foot down. They were not so poor that they had to farm out one of their children. By way of saying
no, thank you, he reclaimed her piano. Kay quickly revealed musical talent and promised to be a beauty. Kate envisioned stardom
for her.
It wasn’t Dad, but a member of Kate’s family — her youngest brother, George, then a robust man in his early thirties — who
became Bing’s first idea of an exemplary performer. An enthusiastic amateur, George made frequent visits from the coast. Bing
adoredhim and spent many hours at his side. In later years, when Bing reminisced about George, his voice would rise a couple of
tones and the phrases would tumble out with a cantering dispatch:
My mother had a brother, George Harrigan, a great singer in the Tacoma-Seattle area. He was a court reporter in the local
legislature and also in the courts in Seattle and Tacoma, and of course his theme song was “Harrigan,” taken from the Cohan
song. And he was the biggest favorite singing around that area that ever occurred there. He was a great guy and had a terrific
voice — big, high, loud,
powerful
tenor. Anytime he appeared, everybody’d holler, “Harrigan,” and he’d go: “H-A-double R-I-G-A-N spells Harrigan / Divil a
man can say a word agin me,” and I learned a lot just watching him. He could tell stories in any dialect you ever heard of.
He should have gone into show business, but he married young, had about five or six children, and never could get away. He’d
have been a sensational star with his ability to do dialect stories and sing. He was six foot two, black hair with blue eyes.
Handsome man. 26
During Christmas 1912 Kate, nearing forty, revealed that for the first time in six years she was pregnant. The timing was
propitious. Inland Brewery’s tank capacity increased by another 25,000 barrels, and Harry received a raise and a new title
— cashier. Spokane felt flush. Five years before, Barnum & Bailey’s circus elephants refused to step onto the steel Monroe
Street Bridge, which collapsed shortly afterward. Now its replacement was completed and was touted as the longest concrete
span in the country. Spokane boasted sixty-two miles of paved streets, 600 miles of concrete walks, thirty-five public schools,
ten hospitals and asylums, 112 churches. The Spokane-Coeur d’Alene interurban electric railway, leaving every few minutes,
transported thousands of swimmers and picnickers to Liberty Lake, the area’s most popular resort. The fabulous Davenport Hotel,
designed by architect Kirtland Cutter at a cost of $3 million, opened its doors in 1914, attracting celebrities and royalty
with its glass pillars and lobby birds, plumbing that siphoned drinking water to every room, and a washing machine to polish
silver money.
Even the entertainment world rallied. After city officials banned box
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