Tuesday, July 06, 2010

History of Dean Martin - Music and Biography

Hey pallies, likes I continue to likes gets so pumped when I find more and more web addresses likes puttin' the accent on our beloved Dino. Today's Dino-find comes from the pad "about.com: oldies music" where correspondant Mr. Robert Fontenot has published a outstandin' profile of our Dino. To view this in it's original format, likes just click on the tagg of this Dino-post.

Besides the usual Dino-facts and Dino-figures, Fontenot gives his blog readers a marvelous list of our great man's numero uno and top ten lists of both hits and al-b-ums includin' year of release. There are also a number of Dino-links to be explored if you gots to Fontenot original post.

Likes y'all knows how much I loves learnin' new Dino-details....likes i never ever knew before that our Dino's wintertime al-b-um, the 1966 "Dean Martin Christmas Album" hit numero uno in pop al-b-ums.

So ilovedinomartin says our thanks to Mr. Robert Fontenot for liftin' up the name of our Dino and authorin' this very informative profile of our beloved Dino. Dino-delightedly, DMP



Profile: Dean Martin
By Robert Fontenot, About.com Guide

Claims to fame:

His personal style, sense of humor, and easy way with a song earned him the title "The King Of Cool"

Perhaps the most well-rounded and versatile talent in the "Rat Pack"

More beloved by his fellow Italian-Americans than perhaps any other singer

Carved out impressive careers in the studio, films, and television

Along with Jerry Lewis, one of the postwar era's most enduring comedy teams

A major vocal influence on the young Elvis Presley

Born:
Dino Paul Crocetti on June 7, 1917 in Steubenville, OH; died December 25, 1995, Beverly Hills, CA

Styles:
Great American Songbook, Lounge, Adult Contemporary, Easy Listening, Pop Vocal

Early years:
Dino Crocetti sang at an early age, like many Italian-Americans of his generation; but, like most children of the Depression, he also took on most any job he could find, legal and otherwise, working in speakeasies and steel mills and even boxing as "Kid Crochet." He eventually ended up in nearby Columbus as a featured singer in the Ernie McKay Orchestra, then Sammy Watkins', where the bandleader suggested he change his stage name of Dino Martini to something less ethnic. After WWII, Martin was a fixture on the East Coast nightclub circuit, but not one with a signature style.

Success:
While working at New York's Glass Hat club, he met comedian Jerry Lewis, and the two decided to form an act; after a rough start, the two quickly became the toast of the city, and were soon picked up by Paramount. There, they made an astonishing 16 films in seven years, all while maintaining a national radio show. Trouble was, Dean had begun to feel that his "straight man" routine was overshadowing his singing, and he left in 1956. Though he'd already had a hit with "That's Amore" (a song he hated), his solo success really blossomed in the '60s due to his association with Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack" of entertainers.

Later years:
The late '60s and early '70s proved Dean was a triple threat -- adult contemporary crooner hits, movies (most notably his "Matt Helm" series of James Bond spoofs), and his laid-back TV variety show on NBC, featuring his lovable, boozy persona and a bevy of beauties called the "Golddiggers." Though Sinatra famously reunited him with Lewis on the comedian's charity telethon in 1976, the two never resumed their partnership, and Dean gradually drifted into semi-retirement. Martin, who never fully recovered from the sudden and shocking death of his son Dean Paul in a 1987 plane crash, passed away in 1995 from lung cancer.

#1 Dean Martin hits:

Pop:
"Memories Are Made Of This" (1955)
"Everybody Loves Somebody" (1964)

Adult Contemporary:
"Everybody Loves Somebody" (1964)
"The Door Is Still Open To My Heart" (1964)
"You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" (1964)
"In The Chapel In The Moonlight" (1967)
"In The Misty Moonlight" (1967)


Top 10 Dean Martin hits:

Pop:
"Powder Your Face With Sunshine" (1949)
"That's Amore" (1953)
"Return To Me" (1958)
"The Door Is Still Open To My Heart" (1964)
"I Will" (1965)

Adult Contemporary:
"Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" (1965)
"(Remember Me) I'm The One Who Loves You" (1965)
"Houston" (1965)
"I Will" (1965)
"Somewhere There's A Someone" (1966)
"Come Running Back" (1966)
"A Million And One" (1966)
"Nobody's Baby Again" (1966)
"Let The Good Times In" (1966)
"Lay Some Happiness On Me" (1967)
"Little Ole Winedrinker, Me" (1967)
"You've Still Got A Place In My Heart" (1968)
"April Again" (1968)
"Not Enough Indians" (1968)
"Gentle On My Mind" (1969)


#1 Dean Martin albums:

Pop:
The Dean Martin Christmas Album (1966)

Top 10 Dean Martin albums:

Pop:
Dean Martin Sings (1953)
Everybody Loves Somebody (1964)
The Door Is Still Open To My Heart (1966)

Important Dean Martin movie appearances:
"The Caddy" (1953), "The Young Lions" (1957), "Some Came Running" (1958), "Rio Bravo" (1959), "Ocean's Eleven" (1960), "Something's Got To Give" (1962), "What A Way To Go!" (1964), "The Sons Of Katie Elder" (1965), "The Silencers" (1966), "Bandolero!" (1968), "Airport" (1970), "Cannonball Run" (1981)

Covered by:
Bob Dylan, Celtic Frost, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Chris Isaak, Michael Buble, Ben E. King, Julie London, Perez Prado, Cliff Richard, Petula Clark, Gale Storm, The Everly Brothers, Jim Reeves, Frank Sinatra, Little Richard, The Statler Brothers, Paul Anka, The Drifters, Bobby Rydell, Brenda Lee, Peggy Lee, D.O.A., Connie Francis, Brent Spiner

Other Dean Martin facts and trivia:
Spoke Italian exclusively until he was five years old
Was strongly influenced in his singing style by Harry Mills of the Mills Brothers
The Dean Martin Show was turned into a series of popular celebrity roasts in 1973
An avid golfer who had his own signature series of balls
Was extremely claustrophobic in his younger years, but finally forced himself to ride elevators until he cured the sensation
The inscription on his tombstone reads "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime"
San Antonio,Las Vegas and Rancho Mirage, CA have all renamed portions of their highways after the singer

Dean Martin awards and honors:
GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award (2009)
GRAMMY Hall of Fame (1999)
Hollywood Walk of Fame: 1817 Vine St. (recording), 6519 Hollywood Blvd. (movies), 6651 Hollywood Blvd. (television)

Other important Dean Martin songs:
"Sway," "Ain't That A Kick In The Head," "Memories Are Made Of This," "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," "I'll Always Love You," "If," "You Belong To Me," "Love Me, Love Me," "Kiss," "I'd Cry Like A Baby," "Money Burns A Hole In My Pocket," "How Do You Speak To An Angel?," "The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane," "Mambo Italiano," "Let Me Go, Lover," "Under The Bridges Of Paris," "Young And Foolish," "Innamorata," "Standing On The Corner," "Watching The World Go By," "The Man Who Plays The Mandolino," "Angel Baby," "Volare," "On An Evening In Roma," "Love Me, My Love," "From The Bottom Of My Heart," "Every Minute, Every Hour" "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You," "You'll Always Be The One I Love," "Houston," "That Old Time Feelin'," "I Take A Lot of Pride In What I Am," "One Cup Of Happiness (And One Piece Of Mind)," "June In January," "Come Back To Sorrento," "Just In Time," "I'm Yours," "Hey, Brother, Pour The Wine"

Elsewhere on the Web

The Official Dean Martin Fan Site
Dean Martin Discography
See a video of Dean Martin at YouTube

More Dean Martin
The Dean Martin Fan Center
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
The Dean Martin Festival in his hometown of Steubenville, OH
Dean Martin lyrics, mp3s, and CDs
Dean Martin lyrics
Dean Martin downloads and mp3s
Dean Martin CDs and DVDs


Robert Fontenot
Oldies Music Guide

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