He and Jerry Lewis formed the immensely popular comedy duo Martin and Lewis, with Martin serving as the straight man to Lewis' slapstick hijinks. Martin went on to become a star of concert stages, nightclubs, audio recordings, motion pictures, and television, and was also a member of the "Rat Pack". Martin was the host of the television variety programs The Dean Martin Show and The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. His relaxed, warbling, crooning voice earned him dozens of hit singles, including his signature songs "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare", and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"
Martin was born on June 7, 1917, in Steubenville, Ohio, to an Italian father, Gaetano Alfonso Crocetti (1894–1967), and an Italian-American mother, Angela Crocetti (née Barra; 1899–1966). They were married in 1914. His father, who was a barber, was originally from Montesilvano, in Abruzzo, and his maternal grandparents' origins are believed to be also from Abruzzo, although they are not clearly known. Martin had an older brother named William Alfonso Crocetti (1916–1968). Martin's first language was Abruzzese, a dialect of Neapolitan, and he did not speak English until he started school at the age of five. He attended Grant Elementary School in Steubenville, where he was bullied for his broken English. He later took up the drums as a hobby as a teenager. Martin then dropped out of Steubenville High School in the 10th grade because he thought he was smarter than his teachers. He bootlegged liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier, was a blackjack dealer, worked in a steel mill, and boxed as a welterweight.
As Martin's solo career grew, he and Frank Sinatra became friends. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Martin and Sinatra, along with friends Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis, Jr. formed the Rat Pack, so-called after an earlier group of social friends, the Holmby Hills Rat Pack centered on Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, of which Sinatra had been a member (The Martin-Sinatra-Davis-Lawford-Bishop group referred to themselves as "The Summit" or "The Clan" and never as "The Rat Pack", although this has remained their identity in popular imagination). The men made films together, formed part of the Hollywood social scene, and were politically influential (through Lawford's marriage to Patricia Kennedy, sister of President John F. Kennedy).
The Rat Pack was legendary for its Las Vegas Strip performances. For example, the marquee at the Sands Hotel might read DEAN MARTIN—MAYBE FRANK—MAYBE SAMMY. Their appearances were valuable because the city would flood with wealthy gamblers. Their act (always in tuxedo) consisted of each singing individual numbers, duets and trios, along with seemingly improvised slapstick and chatter. In the socially charged 1960s, their jokes revolved around adult themes, such as Sinatra's womanizing and Martin's drinking, as well as Davis's race and religion. Sinatra and Martin supported the civil rights movement and refused to perform in clubs that would not allow African-American or Jewish performers. Posthumously, the Rat Pack has experienced a popular revival, inspiring the George Clooney/Brad Pitt "Ocean's Trilogy."
Martin returned to films briefly with appearances in the star-laden, critically panned but commercially successful The Cannonball Run and its sequel Cannonball Run II. He also had a minor hit single with "Since I Met You Baby" and made his first music video, which appeared on MTV. The video was created by Martin's youngest son, Ricci. On March 21, 1987, Martin's son, actor Dean Paul Martin (formerly Dino of the 1960s "teeny-bopper" rock group Dino, Desi & Billy), died when his F-4 Phantom II jet fighter crashed while flying with the California Air National Guard. Martin's grief over his son's death left him depressed and demoralized. Later, a tour with Davis and Sinatra in 1988, undertaken in part to help Martin recover, sputtered.
Martin, who responded best to a club audience, felt lost in the huge stadiums they were performing in at Sinatra's insistence, and he was not interested in drinking until dawn after performances. His final Vegas shows were at Bally's Hotel in 1990. There he had his final reunion with Lewis on his 72nd birthday. Martin's last two TV appearances involved tributes to his former Rat Pack members. On December 8, 1989, he joined stars in Sammy Davis Jr's 60th anniversary celebration, which aired a few weeks before Davis died from throat cancer. In December 1990, he congratulated Sinatra on his 75th birthday special.
Martin, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in September 1993, and was told that he would require surgery to prolong his life, but he rejected it. He retired from public life in early 1995 and died of acute respiratory failure resulting from emphysema at his Beverly Hills home on Christmas Day, 1995 at the age of 78. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor. Martin's body was interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. The crypt features the epitaph "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime", the title of his signature song.
In 1996, Ohio Route 7 through Steubenville was rededicated as Dean Martin Boulevard. Road signs bearing an Al Hirschfeld caricature of Martin's likeness designate the stretch with a historical marker bearing a small picture and brief biography in the Gazebo Park at Route 7 and North Fourth Street. An annual Dean Martin Festival celebration is held in Steubenville. Impersonators, friends and family, and entertainers, many of Italian ancestry, appear. In 2005, Clark County, Nevada, renamed a portion of Industrial Road as Dean Martin Drive. A similarly named street was dedicated in 2008 in Rancho Mirage, California. Martin's family was presented a gold record in 2004 for Dino: The Essential Dean Martin, his fastest-selling album, which also hit the iTunes Top 10, and in 2006 it was certified "Platinum".
For the week ending December 23, 2006, the Dean Martin and Martina McBride duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" reached No. 7 on the R&R AC chart. It also went to No. 36 on the R&R Country chart – the last time Martin had a song this high in the charts was in 1965, with the song "I Will," which reached No. 10 on the Pop chart. An album of duets, Forever Cool, was released by Capitol/EMI in 2007. It features Martin's voice with Kevin Spacey, Shelby Lynne, Joss Stone, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Robbie Williams, McBride and others. His footprints were immortalized at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 1964. Martin has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 6519 Hollywood Boulevard for movies; the second at 1617 Vine for recordings; and a third at 6651 Hollywood Boulevard for television. In February 2009, Martin was honored with a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Four of his surviving children, Gail, Deana, Ricci and Gina accepted it on his behalf. In 2010, Martin received a posthumous star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Martin was married three times. His first wife was Elizabeth Anne "Betty" McDonald, (July 14, 1922 – July 11, 1989) of Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. Martin and McDonald married in 1941 and had four children: Craig Martin (born 1942), Claudia Martin (March 16, 1944 – February 16, 2001), Gail Martin (born 1945); and Deana Martin (born 1948). Martin and McDonald divorced in 1949 and Dean gained custody of their children. Betty lived out her life in relative obscurity in San Francisco, California.
Martin's second wife was Dorothy Jean "Jeanne" Biegger (March 27, 1927 – August 24, 2016), a former Orange Bowl queen from Coral Gables, Florida. Their marriage lasted 24 years (1949–1973) and produced three children: Dean Paul Martin (November 17, 1951 – March 21, 1987), Ricci Martin (September 20, 1953 – August 3, 2016)[15] and Gina Martin (born 1956).
Martin's third marriage, to Catherine Hawn, lasted three years before Martin initiated divorce proceedings. They had no biological children of their own but Martin adopted Hawn's daughter, Sasha.
Martin's uncle was Leonard Barr, who appeared in several of his shows. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he lived at 363 Copa De Oro Road in Bel Air, Los Angeles, before selling it to Tom Jones for $500,000 in June 1976.
Martin's son-in-law was the Beach Boys' Carl Wilson, who married Martin's daughter Gina. Figure skater Dorothy Hamill and actress Olivia Hussey were his daughters-in-law during their marriages to Martin's son, Dean Paul Martin.
Five Card Stud
Dean Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The stranger's game was Five Card Stud
He was hard to beat, rather play than eat
Long as it was Five Card Stud
When he played he played for blood
When this ramblin', gamblin' man said, "Deal 'em"
You had better beware
Bet your poke and he'd leave you broke
Then he'd make a joke as he slyly grinned
Then he'd say, "That's enough today"
And he'd ride away like the wind
Stud was all he lived and breathed
But now and then a fire seethed
Liked his gals and fun then he'd up and run
Run right back to Five Card Stud
Never played two hands the same
He could bluff you, bluff you blind
You'd swear that he invented the game
How he loved that Five Card Stud
Life to him was Five Card Stud
When he played he played for blood
He was King at Five Card Stud
Dean Martin's song "Five Card Stud" tells the story of a man who is a master at playing the card game Five Card Stud. The song starts by introducing the character, who is said to be the "King at Five Card Stud" and who prefers playing the game over eating. He is described as being hard to beat and always playing for blood. The lyrics warn that anyone who decides to play against him should be cautious as he is known to leave opponents broke.
The song goes on to describe the stranger's approach to the game, saying that he never played two hands the same way and was a master at bluffing. Despite his love for the game, every once in a while he would get the urge to break away from Five Card Stud and have some fun with his gal before inevitably returning to the poker table.
Overall, the song is a celebration of the excitement and thrill of gambling, with a focus specifically on the game of Five Card Stud. It depicts the game as being all-consuming and a way of life for those who truly love it.
Line by Line Meaning
He was King at Five Card Stud
He was the unbeatable master of playing Five Card Stud.
The stranger's game was Five Card Stud
The game the stranger was playing was Five Card Stud as well.
He was hard to beat, rather play than eat
The man was difficult to defeat, and would rather play Five Card Stud than eat.
Long as it was Five Card Stud
The man only wanted to play Five Card Stud.
When he played he played for blood
The man played the game for high stakes and with a fierce determination.
When this ramblin', gamblin' man said, "Deal 'em"
When the man expressed his desire to start a new game of Five Card Stud, everyone had to be ready.
You had better beware
If the man invited you to play, you should have been cautious since he was difficult to beat.
Bet your poke and he'd leave you broke
If you wagered all your money, he would win and you would be left without any.
Then he'd make a joke as he slyly grinned
The man would mock his opponents as he smiled deviously.
Then he'd say, "That's enough today"
When the game was over, he would declare that he had had enough for the day.
And he'd ride away like the wind
The man would quickly leave the place after the game was over.
Stud was all he lived and breathed
Playing Five Card Stud was his entire life.
But now and then a fire seethed
Occasionally, he would feel a strong urge to do something else.
Liked his gals and fun then he'd up and run
He enjoyed women and having fun, but he would always return to playing Five Card Stud.
Run right back to Five Card Stud
He would always come back to his true passion, Five Card Stud.
Never played two hands the same
Every hand he played was different from the previous one.
He could bluff you, bluff you blind
He was skilled at deceiving his opponents, to the point that they would believe his bluffs even when he had nothing.
You'd swear that he invented the game
His skill at playing Five Card Stud was so great, you would think he had created the game himself.
How he loved that Five Card Stud
The man had a deep passion for playing Five Card Stud.
Life to him was Five Card Stud
Playing Five Card Stud was the most important thing in his life.
Contributed by Noah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bessie Knapper
Love to hear Dean sing 5 Card Stud.
Henry Hawkins
MR.DEAN according to me ( my opinion , I'M A BLACK MAN).DON'T get mad ...was better than ELVIS and I seen ELVIS COWBOY MOVIES and them things were HORRIBLE . Ask me....I will EXPLAIN. IF YOU AIN'T on a BEACH , I DON'T LISTEN to ELVIS OR MICHAEL JACKSON. NO DISRESPECT . I just DON'T
Chris Pewett
@Henry Hawkins What
lostmagiknyram
Thank you Dino for upload this jewel! It seems it's quite impossible to get a digital copy of this great song (love it the first time I listen to it).
Belin Gonza
Dean could take a simple song and make it cool!
Brenda Johnson
Belin Gonza o
Tomas Fraire
He is the best actor and movie star I have ever seen!!!
Henry Hawkins
TRUTH.
Natalie Feelme?
love the song, love the movie
Karen Harden
Dean was a good actor and singer