Dean Martin

Dean Martin, born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, was one of the defining voices of American popular music in the mid-20th century. Raised in an Italian-American household where Italian was his first language, he took an unconventional path into show business, briefly working as a boxer before turning to singing under stage names that eventually settled into Dean Martin.

He rose to fame as half of the wildly popular comedy duo Martin and Lewis with Jerry Lewis, a partnership that dominated film, radio and nightclub stages before dissolving in 1956. Martin then built a hugely successful solo career as a crooner, becoming known for his smooth, effortless baritone and relaxed, easygoing stage persona, and later joined Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. as a core member of the Rat Pack.

His recordings such as «That's Amore», «Ain't That a Kick in the Head», «Sway» and «Volare» remain standards of the American songbook, and his rendition of «Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!» is a holiday radio staple to this day. He also maintained a parallel career as a Hollywood film actor throughout his life.