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Dean Martin
The successful duo Martin & Lewis, The Rat Pack, countless performances in Las Vegas, The Dean Martin Show, 108 Singles, 33 LPs and 51 movies are the legacy of legendary Crooner Dean Martin. Born Dino Crocetti on June 7th, 1917 in Steubenville, Ohio as the son of Italian immigrants, he didn't speak English until he started school at the age of five. His problems with the language remained until his first wife Betty gave him English lessons in the 40s.
As a teenager he worked as a steelworker, a milkman and a seller in a supermarket. Sometimes he boxed under the name Kid Crochet as a welterweight and, during the prohibition era, bootlegged liquor for the local La Costa Nostra.
Whilst working as a roulette stickman and croupier in an illegal casino, his friends heard him singing and suggested he should pursue a career as such.
In the 30s he started to sing with local bands, calling himself Dino Martini, later Dean Martin, the man who would become one of the most popular Crooners in music history.
The big breakthrough came in 1946, when Martin teamed up with the 9 years younger comedian Jerry Lewis. The duo Martin & Lewis became worldwide stars, and besides the countless shows they gave, made 16 movies together.
After many conflicts, the duo went separate ways in 1956 and Dean Martin started a successful solo career with hit singles such as That's Amore, Memories Are Made Of This, Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu), Everybody Loves Somebody and Gentle On My Mind.
He also regularly performed at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas with the legendary Rat Pack that included stars like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and Shirley MacLaine.
Besides his career as a singer, Martin would also star in movies like ‘Rio Bravo’ (with John Wayne and Ricky Nelson), ‘Ocean's Eleven’ (with the Rat Pack) and Billy Wilder's comedy ‘Kiss Me, Stupid’. Between 1965 and 1974, he also presented The Dean Martin Show on NBC, which was aired weekly.
At the beginning of the 90s, Martin was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and also a few years later with lung cancer. He died on the 25th of November in 1995 at the age of 78 as a result of cancer. That day, the lights in Las Vegas were turned off for 10 minutes in tribute.