The Rhythm Boys were an American male singing trio consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker.

They appeared with the Whiteman orchestra in the film King of Jazz (Universal Pictures, 1930), in which they sang "Mississippi Mud", "So the Bluebirds and the Blackbirds Got Together", "A Bench in the Park", and "Happy Feet".

They are best remembered for launching Crosby's solo career, one that would make him the greatest song charting act in history and one of the most influential entertainers of the twentieth century.

Crosby and Rinker began as a minor part of The Syncopation Idea, a short revue put out by the Fanchon and Marco agency, and it was there that they started to develop as entertainers.

[3] At that time, it was felt that Whiteman needed something different and entertaining to break up the musical selections he was presenting and Crosby and Rinker filled this requirement admirably.

The additional voice meant that the boys could be heard more easily in the large New York theaters and they quickly became a real success.

The Whiteman Orchestra later recorded a hit version featuring Bix Beiderbecke on cornet and Irene Taylor singing along with the Rhythm Boys.

[2] Whiteman had decided to re-employ the trio because he had signed up with Old Gold Cigarettes to deliver a weekly hour-long show on Tuesdays nights over CBS from station WABC in New York.

Around this time, Crosby was jailed following a car crash as he had been drinking and he lost a solo spot in King of Jazz to John Boles.

[2] After completing filming, Whiteman took his troupe up the West Coast to Seattle prior to returning east for the New York premiere of King of Jazz.

However, the lure of his girlfriend, Dixie, and of the sunshine in California proved too strong for Crosby, so he and the Rhythm Boys left Whiteman in Portland, Oregon in April 1930, and returned to Los Angeles.

They were soon augmented by the deeper voice of Al Dary and this enhanced group also recorded "Mississippi Mud" (Victor 36199) which caused confusion among collectors.

They did appear on local radio and sing for film soundtracks, but it was not until they went into the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel in July 1930 “that the action picked up a little,” to quote Crosby.

Singing with the Gus Arnheim Orchestra, Crosby's solos began to steal the show, while the Rhythm Boys act gradually became redundant.

Radio broadcasts over station KNX from the Cocoanut Grove made Crosby famous on the West Coast, but his drinking problems and risky behaviors caused him to start missing performances and his pay was docked.

The Rhythm Boys reunited briefly to appear on the Paul Whiteman Presents radio show broadcast on July 4, 1943, when they sang "Mississippi Mud".