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.
Hey Brother Pour the Wine
Dean Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey brother, pour the wine
Drink the drink that I have made
Hey brother, pour the wine
Tell you why the day is sunny
I'm in love with lips of honey
Wait 'til you see the way she walks
She is coming here to stay
Hey brother, pour the wine
I have waited for the day
Hey brother, pour the wine
She writes of love in every letter
Others have tried but I will get her
Wait 'til you see the way she walks
Hey brother, pour the wine
What is life? what is spring?
What are all the stars that shine?
Love, my friend is everything
And love will soon be mine
Pour it as quickly as you can
Hey brother, pour the wine
Pour it quickly once again
Hey brother, pour the wine
She's here at last my one and only
Goodbye friends and don't be lonely
Wait 'til you see the way she walks
Hey brother, pour the wine
Blink your eyes and love has passed
Hey brother, pour the wine
Her's was never made to last
Hey brother, pour the wine
She introduced me to another
No my friends, he's not her brother
I will miss the way she walks
Hey brother, pour the wine
Pour the wine, pour the wine
Hey brother, pour the wine
Pour the wine
The song "Hey Brother" by Dean Martin appears to be about a man who is deeply in love with a woman who he believes to be the one. He is waiting for her to come and he excitedly asks his friend or brother to pour the wine that he has made. The singer describes the woman in glowing terms - she has lips of honey, writes of love in every letter, and walks in a way that is impressive. The singer believes that love is everything in life, and he is eager to share this love with the woman he loves.
However, towards the end of the song, the tone shifts dramatically. The singer reveals that the woman has introduced him to another man, and his love for her was never meant to last. Despite this, he still requests more wine from his brother, indicating that he may be trying to drown out his sorrows. The song ends with the singer reminiscing about the way the woman walked, and the brother pouring more wine.
Overall, the song is bittersweet and appears to be a cautionary tale about the fleeting nature of love. The singer recognizes the power of love but seems to understand that it cannot necessarily be controlled or predicted.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we sit enjoying the shade
We are both sitting here in a comfortable and pleasant spot
Hey brother, pour the wine
Please pour me some wine, my dear friend
Drink the drink that I have made
Please drink this wine that I have specially prepared for you
Tell you why the day is sunny
Let me explain to you why the weather is so nice today
I'm in love with lips of honey
I am smitten with a woman who has sweet lips
Wait 'til you see the way she walks
Just wait until you see how gracefully she moves
She is coming here to stay
My beloved is arriving soon and will be staying with me
I have waited for the day
I have been eagerly anticipating this day for a long time
She writes of love in every letter
My lover expresses her affection for me in every correspondence
Others have tried but I will get her
Others have attempted to win her heart, but I am determined to succeed
What is life? what is spring?
What is the meaning of life, and what is the significance of the season of spring?
What are all the stars that shine?
What is the purpose of all the stars that twinkle in the sky?
Love, my friend is everything
Love is the most important thing in life, my dear friend
And love will soon be mine
I am confident that I will soon have love in my life
Pour it as quickly as you can
Please pour the wine as fast as you possibly can
Pour it quickly once again
Please pour another glass of wine quickly
She's here at last my one and only
My beloved has finally arrived at my doorstep
Goodbye friends and don't be lonely
Farewell my friends, don't be lonely without me
Blink your eyes and love has passed
Love can disappear in the blink of an eye
Her's was never made to last
Our love was not meant to be forever
She introduced me to another
My lover introduced me to someone else
No my friends, he's not her brother
To clarify, the man she introduced me to is not her brother
I will miss the way she walks
I will miss the way my beloved gracefully moves
Pour the wine, pour the wine
Please pour some more wine, my dear friend
Hey brother, pour the wine
I am asking you again to pour some more wine for me, my friend
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BAGDASARIAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@flintnewmaker
Here we sit enjoying the shade
Drink the drink that I have made
Tell you why the day is sunny
I'm in love with lips of honey
Wait 'til you see the way she walks
Hey brother pour the wine
She is coming here to stay
I have waited for the day
She writes of love in every letter
Others have tried but I will get her
Wait 'til you see the way she walks
Hey brother pour the wine
What is life
What is loving
What are all the stars that shine
Love my friend is everything
And love will soon be mine
Pour it quickly as you can
Pour it quickly once again
She's here at last my one and only
Goodbye friends and don't be lonely
Wait 'til you see the way she walks
Hey brother pour the wine
Blink your eyes and love has passed
Hers was never made to last
She introduced me to another
No my friends, he's not her brother
I will miss the way she walks
Hey brother pour the wine
Hey brother pour the wine
@SuperMarkerComicBro
"I'm not much of a drinker." "Well, you sure picked a good time to start, you..."
@carltonleboss
The Simpsons did bring me here.
@Eric_1991
Hey Homer, did you try the punch?
@steamstream7776
I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but I think there’s a little al-kee-hol in this punch!
@evankauffman2139
I'm here because Dean Martin's singing is an Earthly pleasure.
@hell5309
I'm here because Marge Simpson sang this before calling out, "Hey Homie, did you try the punch?"
@victhom19
“Hey Homie! Have you tried the punch?”
@hollyandersonsmusic3226
I'm not much of a drinker...
@hell5309
@@hollyandersonsmusic3226 Well, you picked a perfect time to start!
@sauluribe7082
Beat me to it.