DINO! He was born as Dino Paul Crocetti in my hometown of Steubenville, Ohio. Used to run numbers as a kid before becoming a boxer and a crooner ❤️ We still have an annual Dean Martin festival every June. He died on Christmas Day 1995 and they dimmed the Vegas lights in his honor.
His best known songs include "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?", "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", and "Volare". They are all wonderful. I come from an Italian family most of us sing. My mom sang opera. I really miss it.
Great picks! I would only add "Return To Me", love that song too! J&A, after you hear these, you'll get why he's categorized as a crooner. BTW, he sang "That's Amore" with the Italian accent, but he's fully American with Italian ancestors.
Are you still looking for contemporary artists with the crooner vibe? Michael Buble is the obvious choice but also Harry Connick Jr. Any vocal from the "When Harry Met Sally" soundtrack would be great (Harry was pretty much a piano prodigy, so lots of great piano for J). I also think Leslie Odom Jr's self titled album is old school crooner/ jazz.
But it was all an act. He wasn’t a drinker; he just played the slightly inebriated neighbor on stage. It was either apple juice or tea in his whiskey glass.
I’m 68 years old, and Dean Martin was from my parent’s generation, but I loved him. When my oldest son was a tiny baby, I would sing That’s Amore to him, and he’d instantly stop crying. lol
I can name 3 singers who are levels above Sinatra from that era. Dean Martin, Johnny Hartman and Arthur Prysock . All 3 were as smooth as that come with The kind of baritone voices that defied description. I like Sinatra but in all honesty he's a bit overrated. He was good but there's levels to this and Johnny Hartman was 5 times better as was Prysock and both could Interpret a song equally as well as Sinatra and in my view which is shared by many, BETTER. Especially Hartman. Unfortunately Sinatra benefited from The help of the mafia and the fact that This was still the Apartheid era in America where the black community in so many levels, was not going to get the same as advantages and advancement and push that their white counter parts enjoyed, and that definitely applied here as well. And Dean Martin was effortless in his delivery and that husky, baritone smokey lush voice could sing a telephone ☎️ book and make it sound like Romance.
Dean Martin had his own TV show in the late 60s. He had super charisma and was funny as heck. He would not go to rehearsals so that he could just react to his guests and be fresh in the silly skits. He would always sing and he always had a secret guest behind a door. It was a great show.
Dean's voice was a little smoother than Frank's, but they had different styles. Listen to him sing, Dean always a smile in his voice and never took himself seriously. Loved his TV show years ago. Look some of those up on RU-vid.
"Everybody Loves Somebody" was a big song for Dean. He knocked the Beatles' "Hard Days Night" out of the #1 spot on the charts with it and it was Dean's theme song that he used to open his TV show - aptly named "The Dean Martin Show" - that ran from 1965 to 1974.
Yes, Deano is a crooner. He doesn’t have an accent, but an Italian through n through. Baby,, it’s Cold Outside is great...any song he sing is top notch! Perry Como is wonderful, also.
Dean's acting was as good as his singing. As others have said his movies with Jerry Lewis were classics. He also starred in a western with John Wayne, Walter Brennan and Ricky Nelson (another singer). Dean, of course, played the drunk sheriff. The movie was Rio Bravo released in 1959. Cheers, Steve
He was such a star. He had his own TV show, he was the first to do celebrity "roasts", and many many many records. He played like he was drunk, that was his gimmick, but was a family man and even during filming movies he was home for dinner with his family at night.
Dean didn’t have any accent. He was an actor and this song reflects him getting into a role. I used to love watching him and Jerry Lewis in their comedies.
Dean Martin is one of my favourites. Has been for a looooooong time. The Rat Pack was always fire. Please dive into those next, because the three together are just amazing. For Deans solo work i highly suggest "You´re nobody till somebody loves you"
This is making me cry. My Grandma LOVED Dean Martin. She'd put a stack of his records on the "Hi-Fi", and dance with my Grandpa. RIP Grandma & Grandpa. 😭🥰☮&❤
Mr. Smooth. I like his flow better than Frank's actually, he's sort of like Sammy that way. Dean always seemed like the warmest one of the Ratpack to me, very funny.
When I was 15 I worked in a very posh Italian restaurant in California. Under the same roof as this 5-star restaurant, there was also a huge banquet hall that seated 350 people. This banquet room was the place where a lot of very wealthy people had their wedding receptions. After the guests had finished dining on steak and lobster along with ravioli and other pasta dishes, one of my jobs as a dishwasher and busboy was to clear the tables which all slid under the large stage at the back end of the banquet hall so that people could dance. One wedding reception I worked I could tell was for a very wealthy and important Italian business man. You could always tell by the decorations and the meal when it was a particularly wealthy individual having their reception. I cleared the tables and went back into the kitchen to wash the dishes. You could hear the music playing very clearly in the kitchen. Most of the time it was records or some local band would be playing for the guests to dance to. I heard the owner of the Restaurant say over the sound system, "we have a couple of very special performers for this evening". Then I heard the song That's Amore begin to play and Dean Martin singing the song with someone else. I thought it must be some impersonators because there was no way Dean Martin was singing at such a small event as a local wedding. I pushed the swinging door open and peaked out at the stage and sure as heck there was not only Dean Martin but also Frank Sinatra singing on the stage. It was indeed a very wealthy person's wedding reception because to have Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra singing at your wedding you had to be wealthy. One of my bosses walked up behind me and said I know you are enjoying the show but you need to get back to work. That was the most fun I had washing dishes in my life washing them while listening to the real and live Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra sing.
Dean's singing style is more relaxed and natural. He evokes more emotions with his singing, while Frank Sinatra was more musically precise and technical. Both are great singers. But to give a comparison, Frank's songs are priceless pieces of beautiful art, while Dean's songs are the comfortable sweater you love to wear. Frank would have admitted the same thing. He worked hard at his craft and saw his voice as a tool or instrument. He knew and practiced techniques and phrasing to get the most out of every note. Where when he was asked about Dean's singing he said, "Dean has no clue what he's doing. He just opens his mouth and sings."
Finally! Dean's show on NBC was #1 for 15 years. They couldn't pay him enough, so they paid him in stock. When he died, he was the largest single stockholder in General Electric. Who had bought NBC. You're nobody till you love somebody. Ain't that a kick in the head, Sway, Everybody loves somebody sometimes. My favorite his My Rifle My Pony and me with Ricky Nelson from the movie Rio Bravo, John Waynes best western. Christmas songs Let it snow and Marshmallow World are classics. He was a great actor. Hilarious with Sammie Davis Jr. in Cannonball Run.
Dean played straight man to Jerry Lewis in the movies for years. He was the crooner and Jerry was the clown. Personally, I'd take Dean before Frank Sinatra any day. For a good laugh, check out some of his Celebrity Roasts. Between songs, of course. I love his smile, sense of humor and his voice!!
Not all his stuff is based on Italian culture -- He was a true crooner. He had a great crooner voice, but he was also a pretty damn good comic actor as well! He played the playboy, heavy drinker kinda guy brilliantly! He made a bunch of hilarious little movies in the 60's with his buddy, comic legend Jerry Lewis. Edit: Correction, the movies were from 1949 to 1956... thanks, Tim Carr!
Dean Martin made moves with Jerry Lewis in the 1950s. After 1956, Jerry Lewis decided to continue on as a solo act. Lewis acted solo in movies through the remainder of the 1950s, and throughout the 1960s.
Also, two westerns with John Wayne, Rio Bravo (1959) and Sons of Katie Elder (1965), another one with Robert Mitchum in 1968 5-card Stud. Also, the Matt Helm Secret Agent movies starting in 1966 (Silencers) which were somewhat of parody of the secret agent genre started with the James Bond franchise which of course began in 1962 with Dr. No.
Deans probably the greatest 'Crooner' as not only could he sing and dance, he was also an actor. He has so many great songs. Try listening to 'Little Old Wine Drinker Me'.
Dean always looked like he was having a good time and the audience was in on it. Loved him when I was a kid. Mambo Italiano is a fun song. Also, check out Bobby Darin Mack the Knife. Eartha Kitt is definitely another great one.
His voice is so lovely.... I'm lucky to have listened to this as a kid since my parents both loved music... he's a favorite of mine along with Bing Crosby.
He actually didn’t speak English until he was in school and was bulied for his broken English. I think he covered the accent up in his professional life.
Dino was a one-off and there was no other who could get away with his way of singing. He took it way over the top---and made it work. Bless him forever. Glad you found him!
This is the music my mom introduced me to as a child, so yeah, I couldn't help but love it. Loved watching his movies as well, especially the ones with Jerry Lewis.They were hilarious!
Dean Martin “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”. A million times this song. And if you want a beautiful female crooner look up Della Reese “Don’t You Know”. Both are masterpieces!!!
He was nicknamed "the King of Cool" for a reason lol. He sang like he was standing right next to you in a restaurant and by no means would it have felt unwelcome.
My dad's side of the family is italian and I swear everytime we went to any italian resturant (which was a lot of the time) this song was always playing
Actually, he didn’t drink much at all. That was his act. It was smoking that got him. He had very bad emphysema and lived isolated from family. His general health declined and he succumbed to respiratory failure. It was a sad ending because I heard he was alone but that could have been Hollywood gossip of the times. Dean was my favorite of the Italian crooners, even Frank and Tony. But as you said drunk isn’t funny. It was just a different time. People then knew Dean was not a drinker. Frank was!
@@rosemary702001 thanks for clarifying that drunk myth. It was an act and that’s all it was! If anything he was a heavy smoker than a drunk and he went into a deep depression when his son Dino died.
This was used as the theme song for the 1980’s movie “Moonstruck “, starring Cher and Nicholas Cage. It’s a romantic comedy about a woman from an Italian family, and it’s worth watching. I’ve probably watched it upwards of 20 x over the years.
In my opinion, Dean is by far the most talented member of the Rat Pack. Great voice, great sense of humor, terrific comedic timing, and a superb actor. He truly had it all.
I love Dean Martin but sorry...nobody compares in talent to the quadruple threat, greatest of all, Sammy Davis, Jr. He sang, danced, played many instruments especially the drums, and was an incomparable actor. His dancing was world class. So incredibly underrated. Look at all the available videos out there of Sammy doing drums, dancing, etc.. He was excellent at everything.
Dean's version of "That's Amore" was a big part of one the greatest romantic comedies of all time - "Moonstruck" starring Cher and Nicolas Cage. Please watch it.
There's a song Dean sings in the movie "Rio Bravo" - "My Rifle, My Pony, and Me". It's amazing. BTW - Rio Bravo one of the great westerns, and Dean's acting in it was absolutely wonderful. Singing, acting - comedy, drama, action, Dean could do it all. Then, in the late 60s, he became the #1 star on TV as well, just for good measure.
Dean was one of the coolest cats that ever lived. He was also a great actor, he did a lot of westerns ... which were good and are FUN to watch. Lots of comedies with Jerry Lewis as well.
This is the opening song for the movie Moonstruck. It sets the romantic mood for the movie I love it because Moonstruck was the last movie my mom and I watched-just the two of us before she passed. It's a treasured memory I keep in my heart.
I’m Italian. There’s a saying that goes “Either you are Italian, or you wish you were”! Dean Martin doesn’t have an accent; just when he sings this song.
I would take Deano over Frank any day. Watch him live. He is so charismatic,funny and entertaining. He made some really good movies. I grew up listening to both Frank and Dean. And always preferred Dean.
Dean Martin's real name was Dino Paul Crocetti, of parental italian descent. One of my favourite tv programmes was his show in the 60s when I was 9. Used to sing Everybody loves somebody all the time
This was one of my mom's favorites!! We grew up with Dino, Frank, Bing, Jerry Vale, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams.....Lawrence Welk.... My goodness....I have myself in tears.... life seemed to almost make sense.... I miss you mom and dad!
This song was played in the movie "Moonstruck" starring Cher. I love this song and knew y'all would. Dean actually recorded 1 Country song called "Houston". He can SING!!! Sorry, but "'ole Blue Eyes" comes in second to Dean for me..... :)
"Sway" Dean Martin. Amber, it is just the right song to make you go weak in the knees. One of my parents favorites. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this year!
@ Mary Engleman Wow! That's so beautiful. Happy 70th Anniversary, and Congratulations to your parents!♥️ I agree, "Sway" is a great suggestion! I think Amber especially, will love that song.
The song opens the movie "Moonstruck" which is my favorite movie. He had a terrific TV show. He could make you cry laughing while singing. Terrific performer.
Dean, while always playing somewhat drunk, was actually a teetotaler. He held a glass with a beverage, but it wasn't booze. And he was considered to be a wild party person when in actuality he was a family man. I think he had 7 children. Just goes to show what a great actor he was when performing.
I always loved Dean Martin best of the rat pack, and we never missed his weekly show. No one's mentioned Volare', also a great song. We had music like this at my sister's reception in 1993, and it was wonderful. It didn't hurt that Dean was sooo handsome, and felt more approachable than Sinatra. As others have mentioned, he was a decent actor as well, and I especially liked Rio Bravo. You might want to try some Bobby Darin one of these days - singer, songwriter, and actor.
All these guys had tv variety shows and the moms of my childhood, including. Mine, we’re glued to the tube! The crooner who really stole their hearts and . . ummm . . Unmentionables was Perry Como. If you are listening to the crooners of the ‘50’s Perry Como is a must!
So this song is a tribute to his Italian roots. You’ll also like “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head”. His version of “Volare” is probably the best with the lyrics translated into English (well, part of the song for his version). but as for me, I love the original jazzy version by Domenico Modugno the best.
When I was a little girl around 9 years old I remember my mom having a Dean Martin album she played on her record player. My mom would be singing along with Dean Martin and dancing with my sister and I around the living room. I always loved the song... everybody loves somebody sometime.. by Dean Martin that was my favorite
