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.
Gentle on My Mind
Dean Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That makes me tend to leave my sleeping bag rolled up and stashed behind your couch
And it's knowing I'm not shackled by forgotten words and bonds
And the ink stains that have dried up on some line
That keeps you in the back roads by the rivers of my memory
That keeps you ever gentle on my mind
It's not clinging to the rocks and ivy planted on their columns now that binds me
It's just knowing that the world will not be cursing or forgiving when I walk along some railroad track by the rivers of my memory
And for hours you're just gentle on my mind
Well I dip my cup of soup back from the gurgling crackling caldron in some train yard
My beard a roughening coal pile and a dirty hat pulled low across my face
Cupped hands 'round a tin can
I pretend I hold you to my breast and find that you're waving from the back roads by the river of my memory
Ever smiling ever gentle on my mind
The lyrics of Dean Martin's song "Gentle on My Mind" tell a story of a person who finds solace in the memory of a lover who is always in his/her mind even though they are far away. The opening lines describe the comfort the person feels in knowing that the door of their lover is always open, and that their path is free to walk. This makes the person tend to leave their sleeping bag with their lover and feel unshackled by forgotten words and bonds. The memory of their lover keeps them on the back roads by the rivers of their memory and ever gentle on their mind.
The second stanza talks about the person's perspective on relationships, their connection with their lover being more than a physical or mental bond. It's not clinging to the rocks and the ivy that bind them, rather it’s knowing that the world will not be cursing or forgiving them when they walk along the railroad tracks by the rivers of their memory. The memory of their lover is just gentle on their mind.
The final stanza is bittersweet, describing the person eating alone in a train yard, imagining holding their lover close to their chest. They find their lover waving from the back roads by the river of their memory, ever smiling and ever gentle on their mind.
Line by Line Meaning
It's knowing that your door is always open and your path is free to walk
I feel free and welcome to come to you anytime because you have a kind heart and open door policy.
That makes me tend to leave my sleeping bag rolled up and stashed behind your couch
Because you are always there for me, I don't hesitate to leave behind my sleeping bag and other luggage at your place.
And it's knowing I'm not shackled by forgotten words and bonds
I'm not held back by any forgotten promises or past commitments with anybody else.
And the ink stains that have dried up on some line
I don't feel trapped by any written agreements or contracts from the past.
That keeps you in the back roads by the rivers of my memory
Your presence remains strong in my memories of peaceful and serene places such as back roads and rivers.
That keeps you ever gentle on my mind
Your memory is a soothing and calming influence on me, reminding me of your kindness and warmth.
It's not clinging to the rocks and ivy planted on their columns now that binds me
I'm not tied to any material possessions or physical symbols of the past.
Or something that somebody said because they thought we fit together walking
I'm not influenced by other people's opinions or expectations of our relationship.
It's just knowing that the world will not be cursing or forgiving when I walk along some railroad track by the rivers of my memory
When I wander down memory lane by myself, I'm aware that the rest of the world will not judge or critique my thoughts or feelings.
And for hours you're just gentle on my mind
For hours or even days, your kind presence and memory provide me solace and peace of mind.
Well I dip my cup of soup back from the gurgling crackling cauldron in some train yard
I picture myself getting a meal from a noisy train yard and feeling a sense of comfort and nourishment.
My beard a roughening coal pile and a dirty hat pulled low across my face
I may look rough and unpolished, but my rough exterior does not reflect my inner thoughts and feelings.
Cupped hands 'round a tin can
I hold a tin can with cupped hands, feeling grateful for the small things in life.
I pretend I hold you to my breast and find that you're waving from the back roads by the river of my memory
In my imagination, I hold you close and hear your voice saying hello from my happy memories of back roads and rivers.
Ever smiling ever gentle on my mind
You are always present with a calm and kind demeanor, influencing my thoughts and emotions in a positive way.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Hartford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Mr.red1973
This song was my father's favourite song. After he passed away I found it hard to listen to this song without it choking me but time is a great healer and now I can listen to this beautiful song and it always makes me smile with the fond memories of my dad singing this song in the bathroom first thing in the morning. Miss you dad. X
@robbertuittenbosch7030
me too
@alanjohnston3571
Your dad must have been class
@malcolmstirling9521
Nice comment 👍
@petecernan2568
Same here you dad had it on single not sure what year late sixties maybe I was born in 64 but remember it well took a few years before I could listen to certain songs
@prodbytrendyy8309
Hope your okay and wish the best 💫
@stacywalters6574
Takes me right back to going on holiday with my family and it would be Dad's turn to put his music on. Happy precious memories. Miss you every day Dad 💙
@user-bb7vj2df4p
Sweet old memories!!
@JosephGreen-yj1zv
Dad had bangers ❤
@parmyster
What a voice Dean Martin had its a voice that only comes along once in a lifetime glad I was around to hear it