Dean Martin
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Beverly Hills, California, USA
| Genre = Big band, pop
| Years_active = 1940-1989
| Label = Capitol, Reprise
}}
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti, June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an Italian-American singer, film actor, television personality, and comedian. He was one of the most well known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included the songs "Memories Are Made Of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head". One of the organizers of The Rat Pack, he was a major star in four areas of show business: concert stage, recordings, motion pictures, and television. ===Early life=== Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, in the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. His parents were Gaetano Crocetti, a barber from Abruzzo, Italy, and Angela Barra, an Italian American from Fernwood, Ohio. He spoke only Italian until age five.
Martin dropped out of school in the 10th grade because, in his own words, he thought that he was smarter than the teachers. He delivered bootleg liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier, wrote crafty anecdotes, and was a blackjack dealer, worked in a steel mill and boxed as welterweight. At the age of 15, he was a boxer who billed himself as "Kid Crocett" (Kro-Shey). From his prizefighting years, Martin earned a broken nose (later fixed), a permanently split lip, and many sets of broken knuckles (as a result of not being able to afford the tape used to wrap boxers' hands). He won one of his 12 bouts The prize money was small. For a while, he roomed with Sonny King, who like Martin, was just starting out in show business and had little money. Martin and King held bare-knuckle matches in their apartment, fighting until one of them was knocked out; people paid to watch the sight.
Eventually, Martin gave up boxing. He worked as a roulette stickman and croupier in an illegal casino located behind a tobacco shop where he had started out as a stock boy. At the same time, he sang with local bands. Billing himself as "Dino Martini" (after the then-famous Metropolitan Opera tenor, Nino Martini), he got his first break working for the Ernie McKay Orchestra. He performed in a crooning style heavily influenced by Bing Crosby and Harry Mills (of the Mills Brothers), among others. In the early 1940s, he started singing for bandleader Sammy Watkins, at which time Watkins suggested that he change his name to Dean Martin.
In October of 1941, Martin married Elizabeth Anne McDonald, and during their marriage (ended by divorce in 1949), they had four children. Martin worked for various bands throughout the early 1940s, more on looks and personality than vocal ability until he developed his own smooth singing style. Martin famously flopped at the Riobamba when he succeeded Frank Sinatra there in 1943, but it was the setting for the two men's introduction.
To earn extra money, Martin repeatedly sold 10 percent shares of his earnings for up front cash. Martin apparently did this so often that he found he had sold over 100 percent of his income. Such was the power of his charm that most of his lenders forgave his debts and remained friends.
After being drafted into the United States Army during World War II, Martin served a year (1944–1945) in Akron, Ohio. He was then classified 4-F (possibly due to a double hernia; Jerry Lewis referred to the surgery Martin needed for this in his autobiography) and was discharged.
By 1946, Martin was doing relatively well, but he was still little more than an East Coast nightclub singer with an all-too-common style, similar to that of Bing Crosby. He could draw audiences to the clubs he played, but he inspired none of the fanatic popularity enjoyed by Sinatra.
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti, June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an Italian-American singer, film actor, television personality, and comedian. He was one of the most well known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included the songs "Memories Are Made Of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head". One of the organizers of The Rat Pack, he was a major star in four areas of show business: concert stage, recordings, motion pictures, and television. ===Early life=== Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, in the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. His parents were Gaetano Crocetti, a barber from Abruzzo, Italy, and Angela Barra, an Italian American from Fernwood, Ohio. He spoke only Italian until age five.
Martin dropped out of school in the 10th grade because, in his own words, he thought that he was smarter than the teachers. He delivered bootleg liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier, wrote crafty anecdotes, and was a blackjack dealer, worked in a steel mill and boxed as welterweight. At the age of 15, he was a boxer who billed himself as "Kid Crocett" (Kro-Shey). From his prizefighting years, Martin earned a broken nose (later fixed), a permanently split lip, and many sets of broken knuckles (as a result of not being able to afford the tape used to wrap boxers' hands). He won one of his 12 bouts The prize money was small. For a while, he roomed with Sonny King, who like Martin, was just starting out in show business and had little money. Martin and King held bare-knuckle matches in their apartment, fighting until one of them was knocked out; people paid to watch the sight.
Eventually, Martin gave up boxing. He worked as a roulette stickman and croupier in an illegal casino located behind a tobacco shop where he had started out as a stock boy. At the same time, he sang with local bands. Billing himself as "Dino Martini" (after the then-famous Metropolitan Opera tenor, Nino Martini), he got his first break working for the Ernie McKay Orchestra. He performed in a crooning style heavily influenced by Bing Crosby and Harry Mills (of the Mills Brothers), among others. In the early 1940s, he started singing for bandleader Sammy Watkins, at which time Watkins suggested that he change his name to Dean Martin.
In October of 1941, Martin married Elizabeth Anne McDonald, and during their marriage (ended by divorce in 1949), they had four children. Martin worked for various bands throughout the early 1940s, more on looks and personality than vocal ability until he developed his own smooth singing style. Martin famously flopped at the Riobamba when he succeeded Frank Sinatra there in 1943, but it was the setting for the two men's introduction.
To earn extra money, Martin repeatedly sold 10 percent shares of his earnings for up front cash. Martin apparently did this so often that he found he had sold over 100 percent of his income. Such was the power of his charm that most of his lenders forgave his debts and remained friends.
After being drafted into the United States Army during World War II, Martin served a year (1944–1945) in Akron, Ohio. He was then classified 4-F (possibly due to a double hernia; Jerry Lewis referred to the surgery Martin needed for this in his autobiography) and was discharged.
By 1946, Martin was doing relatively well, but he was still little more than an East Coast nightclub singer with an all-too-common style, similar to that of Bing Crosby. He could draw audiences to the clubs he played, but he inspired none of the fanatic popularity enjoyed by Sinatra.
Source: Wikipedia.
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