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.
Sam's Song
Dean Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A happy tune
You'll love the croon
You love to croon
They call it Dean's song
You don't seem to understand
Catchy as can be
I must agreeThe melody
The melody
They call it Dean's song
Looks like I'm gonna have to explain this thing
You don't dig this scene
I'm saying, Dean, the song is Sam's song
Sam, you're just a ham
But Dean here's the scam
The song was named after Sam
Sam who?
Sam Houston
Oh
May I say with pride where I reside
They call it Dean's song
And that's quite a group you have going for you too pal
There's no bigger choir that you could hire for singing Dean's song
They make the Mormon Tabernacle sound like a trio
Sam it's plain to see that you're put out with me
No I'm just not singing along
Well you what I'll do since you're a Jew
We'll call it Clyde's song
Clyde's song?
Here's a happy tune
Clyde's song
Catchy as can be
No I don't like to beef and I'm sorry to say that the man is a thief but he's calling it
It's Clyde's song
Nothing on your mind
There's a lot on my mind and I'm laying here saying you're being unkind 'cause you're calling it
Clyde's song
My Italian friend we have reached the end
We just don't seem to blend
Sam, let's compromise
We'll call it Sam's song
Did he say Sam's song?
Let's give the ending a rhyme
But don't nobody tell Clyde
That, it's Sam's song
It's not Pete Epstine's song
Sam's song
It's not Mona's song
Sam's song
The only thing I know is that when this record comes out it better be called Sam's song
Or you gonna get a nasty letter from my soliciter Calhoun
That's Sam's song
Sam's song
The lyrics of Dean Martin & Sammy Davis Jr.'s song "Sam's Song" begin with a cheerful tone, as the singers express their excitement about a catchy melody that they refer to as "Dean's song." However, confusion arises when Sammy suggests that the song should be named after him, as it was actually named after a man named Sam Houston. Dean seems to find the situation humorous, but then appears puzzled when Sammy becomes upset after suggesting that the song be named after him instead. The conflict between the two singers is resolved when they finally agree to name the song "Sam's song," ending the song on a light-hearted note.
The song "Sam's Song" was originally released in 1950 and was written by Lew Quadling and Jack Elliott. It was first recorded by Bing Crosby and Gary Crosby, and was later covered by Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. The song reached number 16 on the U.S. pop charts and was popularized by Martin and Davis' version.
Line by Line Meaning
Here's a happy tune
This is a sweet melody
You'll love the croon
You love to sing
They call it Dean's song
It seems like the song should have Dean's name in it
Catchy as can be
The tune is quite memorable
The melody
The tune itself
Looks like I'm gonna have to explain this thing
It seems that I will have to clarify a few things
You don't dig this scene
You don't seem to get it
I'm saying, Dean, the song is Sam's song
I am telling Dean that the song should be named after Sam
Sam, you're just a ham
Sam, you like to show off
But Dean here's the scam
But Dean, listen closely
The song was named after Sam
The song should be named after Sam
May I say with pride where I reside
I am proud to say where I come from
There's no bigger choir that you could hire for singing Dean's song
There is no better group for performing Dean's song
Sam it's plain to see that you're put out with me
It's obvious that Sam is upset with me
No I'm just not singing along
I just don't want to sing along
We'll call it Clyde's song
Let's give it another name
Its a sweet melody and I'm happy to say it was named after me but he's calling it
It is a nice tune and I am proud to say it was named after me, but he wants to call it
No I don't like to beef and I'm sorry to say that the man is a thief but he's calling it
I don't want to argue, but he is stealing the credit and calling it
There's a lot on my mind and I'm laying here saying you're being unkind 'cause you're calling it
I have many thoughts, and I am upset that he is naming it
We just don't seem to blend
We are not getting along
Sam, let's compromise
Sam, let's find a middle ground
Did he say Sam's song?
Did he really say Sam's song?
But don't nobody tell Clyde
But don't tell anyone else
That, it's Sam's song
That the song will be named Sam's song
The only thing I know is that when this record comes out it better be called Sam's song
I am certain that when this recording is released, it must be named Sam's song
Or you gonna get a nasty letter from my solicitor Calhoun
Or else you will get a mean letter from my lawyer named Calhoun
Sam's song
The song will be called Sam's song
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JACK ELLIOTT, LEW QUADLING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GeorgeVreelandHill
They sure don't make legends like this anymore.
@TheAmericanNostalgist
Ain't that the truth brother
@jefftheschauer1
I'm surprised that Samsung hasn't picked up this for a commercial 😂
@Bartels92
This is pure gold from a bygone era
@tonytorre9432
Real music folks.
@denisecorbin1693
Facts
@AlexFlanderzzz
Sammy was known for his fantastic impressions, and so it goes to show his skill when the lyrics are wrong. It's actually Sammy that sings the line "My Italian friend...". It wouldn't have made sense otherwise.
@axelvelastro2823
jajaja I noticed it too, at the same time when Dean sings ''But, don't nobody tell Clyde'' in a softer way, in the lyrics pretend that Sammy sang that line
@RosealiaRook
I wish I could've seen these two funny guys on stage in their prime. I love this song, it makes me so happy!
@azleta7515
Anything that these two make is bound to be gold