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What artists' careers have encompassed the Countrypolitan style, either substantially or "On The Fringe?"
A different artist will be featured every month in this new series of articles.
| Dean Martin |
Click on thumbnail image for enlarged photo.               Photos borrowed from The Official Dean Martin Fan Center Website |
Dean Martin is probably best known for his involvement in the fields of mainstream music, films, and club entertainment. Seldom mentioned, however, is the contribution Dean has made to country music, and the `countrypolitan' sub-genre in particular. In the 1960's, Dean had a number of `countrypolitan' hits, some of which rode high on the charts. Moreover, several albums have been released featuring Dean Martin singing country music, almost exclusively `countrypolitan', both on original release and later release compilations. Dino Paul Crocettti was born on June 7, 1917 in Steubenville, Ohio. Dino attended school in Steubenville but left in the tenth grade. His early years of employment were diverse; Dino worked in a steel mill, as a shoeshine boy, as a gas station attendant, delivering bootleg liquor, book betting and selling lottery tickets, as a croupier in a casino, and he even had a stint as a welterweight boxer - `Kid Crochet'. Often singing at family gatherings, Dino was frequently urged by his friends to perform in public. At a nearby beach resort, this eventually happened. 17 year old Dino sang `Oh, Marie' with the George Williams orchestra. Dino was a hit. He gained the position as a singer with the Ernie McKay Band in Columbus, Ohio. In 1941, Dino's work was heard by Sammy Watkins who encouraged him to join his band as a singer. Dino adopted the stage name Dean Martini and, at the urging of Watkins, dropped the `i' to become Dean Martin. Dean has acknowledged Bing Crosby as the major influence on his style. Dean sought his fortune on the club circuit of New York and, in 1943, gained a spot as a singer at the popular Riobamba Club in New York. In 1944, Dean began his own radio show in New York - `Songs by Dean Martin'. In 1945, Dean played on the same bill as a comedian named Jerry Lewis at the Havana-Madrid Club. This meeting was to later change the course of Dean's career. In 1946, Dean cut his first records with Diamond Records. The products: `Which Way Did My Heart Go' backed by ` `All Of Me', and `I Got The Sun In The Morning' backed by `The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi'. Dean cut further recordings at Apollo Records and Embassy Records in the same year. 1946 was a momentous year in Dean's career. Jerry Lewis was performing at the 500 Club in Atlantic City. The resident singer had quit so Jerry Lewis recommended Dean Martin to the management to fill the vacancy. Although Jerry and Dean started as separate acts, they became friends and decided to combine their talents: Jerry as the comic and Dean as the singing straight man. The duo quickly became popular, soon earning $5,000 a week. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis extended their career to television and radio in the late 1940's as they became more and more popular with audiences. In 1949, they travelled to Hollywood where they gained support roles in the movie `My Friend Irma'. The popular movie required a sequel - `My Friend Irma Goes West' - the very next year and Dean and Jerry once again won the parts. Dean and Jerry had gained a contract with Paramount Pictures. As moviegoers will recall, Lewis played the comic role whilst Dean sang the songs and always `got the girl'. The Martin/Lewis partnership lasted 10 years. The pair made 14 more movies including: `At War With The Army', `Jumping Jacks', `Sailor Beware', `The Stooge', `Scared Stiff', `The Caddy', `Living It Up', `Pardners', and `'Hollywood Or Bust'. During that time, Dean continued his recording career. He moved to Capitol Records in 1948 and recorded many hits, including: `That Certain Party', `Powder Your Face With Sunshine', `That Lucky Old Sun', `Muskrat Ramble', `I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine', `Bye, Bye Blackbird', `Who's Sorry Now', `In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening', `When You're Smiling', `That's Amore', `Sway', `Relax-Ay-Voo', `In Napoli', `Memories Are Made Of This', `Return To Me', `Volare', `Napoli', `Just In Time', and `Ain't That A Kick In The Head'. However, Dean's partnership with Jerry deteriorated to such an extent that they broke up on exactly the 10th Anniversary of their first show together - July 25, 1956. Their final show was at the Copacabana, New York. Many pundits expected Dean to fail by himself, but Dean made them eat the words, with his career going from strength to strength. Dean had become a member of the so-called `Rat Pack', led by Frank Sinatra. Other members were Sammy Davis Jnr., Peter Lawford, Shirley MacLaine and Joey Bishop. The `Rat Pack' was styled on the former Humphrey Bogart led group - `The Holmby Hills Rat Pack'. Peter Lawford was brother-in-law to the then President, John F Kennedy. This association gave the group and their activities a position of prominence. In 1961, Frank Sinatra, who also recorded on Capitol, left to form his own record company, Reprise Records. Dean decided to join him and recorded many hits for Reprise including: `Tik-a-Tee, Tik-a-Tay', `C'est Si Bon', `In A Little Spanish Town', `Me and My Shadow' (with Sinatra and Sammy Davis), `Figue For Tinhorns/The Oldest Established" (with Sinatra and Bing Crosby). However, in 1964, Dean first began to emulate the sound coming from Nashville, or `countrypolitan'. His first effort in this regard, `Everybody Loves Somebody', later became Dean's `Theme Song'. Produced by Jimmy Bowen, it hit the charts with such force that it pushed `A Hard Day's Night', by The Beatles, from the No.1 spot. Dean continued to tinge his music with a country sound as evidenced by the hits that followed: `Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On', `Remember Me, I'm The One Who Loves You', `Come Running Back', `You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You', and `In The Chapel In The Moonlight'. Some hits were full on `countrypolitan' too. These included `Houston' and `Little Ole Wine Drinker Me', `Detroit City', as well as other songs with a country `flavor' including: `Gentle On My Mind' and `The Tracks Of My Tears'. Dean's movie career also blossomed. He starred in movies such as `10,000 Bedrooms', `The Young Lions', Some Came Running', `Rio Bravo', `Oceans 11',`Ada', `Toys In The Attic', `The Sons of Katie Elder', `Airport', `Who Was That Lady', `The Bells Are Ringing', and `Robin And The Seven Hoods'. Some of these were made in conjunction with his good friend, Frank Sinatra. In 1964, Dean began his own television show -`The Dean Martin Show' on NBC. The show was syndicated worldwide and ran for nine seasons. The theme was that country-tinged Dean Martin special `Everybody Loves Somebody'. The character Dean played could be construed as relating to his hit, `Little Ole Wine Drinker Me' . In the 1970's, Dean's movie career took a different tack. He took on the role of Matt Helm in a series of movies; the character was loosely based on James Bond, which movies were in vogue at the time. However, Dean's health had begun to deteriorate so he limited himself to club work, mainly in Las Vegas, Christmas Specials and celebrity roasts. In 1987 Dean played the London Palladium and also joined the `Together Again' tour with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jnr. However, he was soon forced to withdraw from the tour because of kidney problems. The same year Dean's son, Dean Paul, was killed in an airplane crash. Dean was a shattered man. In 1993, Dean learned he had lung cancer. At 3am, on Christmas Day, December 25, 1995, the angels took Dean to his final reward. Doctors diagnosed emphysema related respiratory failure. Dean Martin gave so much to so many. His career brought fun and enjoyment to the lives of many, many people in their work-a-day lives. Dean's career embraced many aspects of the entertainment industry, and his contribution to `countrypolitan' music was not insignificant. Dean's contributions in this field live on today. Compilations of his country/countrypolitan work have been released, even since Dean's departure from this world. This is evidenced by the release/re-release of much of Dean's material on LP's and CD's such as: Dean `Tex' Martin Country Style - RepriseThese offerings feature the works of many fine country composers: Hank Williams, Jimmy Webb, Kris Kristofferson, Hank Cochran, Buck Owens, and many others. Included are such fine country songs: `I Can't Help It', `Houston', `By The Time I Get To Phoenix', `I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry', `Walk On By', `Singin' The Blues', `Detroit City', and many , many more. Most are delivered in Dean's relaxed style with orchestral strings and background vocals providing the `countrypolitan' trademark. In the case of Dean Martin, the phrase -`On The Fringe' - relates to Dean's `countrypolitan' works as compared to the rest of his career, rather than to the fact that he was `On The Fringe' of the sub-genre. That Dean Martin's career was so expansive permits his countrypolitan works to be classified as `On The Fringe'. Had many other artists contributed a like amount, no doubt such artists would be labeled `countrypolitan' almost exclusively. Fondly remembered, Dean Martin was one of the GREAT entertainers of the 20th. Century. Written by Michael D'Arcy. July 2001, Countrypolitan.com. Purchase Dean Martin's Music. Visit Dean's Official Website. |
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