Artist

Dean Martin

American singer/actor

Steubenville, United States • 1917 – 1995

Dean Martin is a musician from Steubenville, United States, active 1917–1995. Their discography on Gatefold includes 24 records.

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Albums tracked

134

In collections

1917

Since

Biography

Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, comedian, and television host. He is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century. Martin achieved early success in partnership with comedian Jerry Lewis as the duo Martin and Lewis, beginning in 1946. They performed in nightclubs and later appeared on radio, television, and in films. Following the end of their partnership in 1956, Martin pursued a solo career in entertainment.

The Arc of Dean Martin

The pivots — what forced Dean Martin to reinvent.

The Capitol Crooner Years
After splitting with Jerry Lewis in 1956, Martin needed to prove he was more than a comedy straight man. He teamed up with arranger Nelson Riddle at Capitol Records to cut records like This Time I’m Swingin’! where his vocals floated effortlessly over brass-heavy big band charts. You can hear the loose, swing-era confidence in these tracks before rock and roll changed the radio landscape.
The Reprise Transition
Frank Sinatra founded Reprise Records in 1960 and immediately poached Martin from Capitol, giving him complete artistic freedom and a cut of the profits. Martin ditched the complex jazz arrangements for a more intimate, late-night saloon sound, culminating in the 1964 album Dream With Dean. Backed by just a four-piece rhythm section including Barney Kessel on guitar, his vocals on this record are so close to the microphone you can hear the smoke in his lungs.
The Country-Pop Pivot
By 1964, the British Invasion was crushing traditional pop singers, but Martin pivotally teamed up with producer Jimmy Bowen to record 'Everybody Loves Somebody'. Bowen used a heavy, country-inspired shuffle beat and layered backing vocals to create a massive wall of sound that knocked the Beatles off the top of the charts. This session established a country-pop blueprint that Martin rode for the rest of the decade on albums like Houston and Gentle on My Mind.

Influences

Bing Crosby — Martin openly admitted he stole his entire early singing style from Crosby. You hear it in the effortless baritone phrasing on his late 1940s Capitol singles before he developed his own signature slide. It was Crosby's relaxed, conversational microphone technique that laid the groundwork for the entire mid-century crooner movement.
Harry Mills — As a young singer, Martin constantly spun the Mills Brothers' records to study Harry Mills' smooth, low-register lead vocals. He took the warm, vibrating tone of Mills' delivery and applied it to his own Italian-American pop phrasing. This influence is highly evident on his 1955 album Dean Martin Sings.
Russ Columbo — Columbo was the master of ultra-romantic, hushed vocal delivery in the early 1930s before his accidental death. Martin studied Columbo's hyper-intimate style to learn how to sing softly without losing the projection of his voice. You hear this dark, velvety tone all over Martin's 1962 album Dino: Italian Love Songs.
Louis Armstrong — Martin frequently cited Armstrong as a major influence on his rhythmic timing and laid-back attitude toward phrasing. Instead of singing right on the beat, Martin learned from Armstrong to lag slightly behind the rhythm section, creating that signature lazy, swinging pocket. It is the secret weapon behind the groove on his 1960 sessions with conductor Ken Lane.
Phil Harris — Harris mastered the half-spoken, humorous, cocktail-in-hand vocal delivery on his radio shows in the 1940s. Martin took this specific persona and turned it into an art form during his live sets and late-career records. You can hear Harris' talk-singing blueprint directly on Martin's humorous novelty tracks and live Reprise recordings.