Dean Martin
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Real name: Dino Crocetti
Born: June 17, 1917 Steubenville, Ohio
Died: December 25, 1995 Los Angeles
+++ After working in different jobs, incl. as welterweight boxer, gas station attendant and card dealer, decided that he wanted to become a singer only at the age of 27 +++ Was hired by bandleader Sammy Watkins, after singing in several clubs, who renamed him Dean Martin +++ Worked with comedian Jerry Lewis as of 1946 in Atlantic City clubs +++ Finally signed a recording contract with CAPITOL records in 1950 +++
The same year Capitol released his first record - "I'll always love you" +++ Further hits included "That's amore" (1953), "Memories are made of this" (1955) and "Innamorata" (1956), all in his casual baritone style singing +++ In 1956, his partnership with Jerry Lewis ended +++ He left CAPITOL in 1959 and signed later with the label of his buddy, Frank Sinatra, REPRISE records +++ Had another string of hits during the 60s, including "Everybody loves somebody" (1964), "The door is still open to my heart" (1964), "I will" (1956), and later "Little ole winedrinker, me" (1967) and "In the misty moonlight" (1967) +++
Continued to appear on his own TV show (NBC) until 1974 +++ Later records, however, had only little commercial success +++ Died of respiratory failure on Christmas day 1995 +++ Besides Bing Crosby and Perry Como, Dean Martin was the most important romantic "crooner" of the 50s and 60s +++
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