Dean Martin
“Ain’t That a Kick in the Head?”
What kind of man is worshiped by Elvis Presley, donned the “coolest man who ever lived” by Playboy, a former boxing prizefighter and liquor bootlegger, and one of the smoothest lady-killers of all time? Why, Dean Martin, of course.
Dean grew up speaking only Italian until he went to school, where he ultimately declared he was smarter than his teachers and he dropped out of school to work as a bootleg liquor delivery boy, a speakeasy employee, a blackjack dealer, a steel mill worker and boxer.
By the age of 15 he was a champion boxer named “Kid Crochet,” and he claimed to have lost 11 of his 12 fights, and then gave up the sport to continue working in speakeasy bars and singing for various bands. He’s mostly known for his work in the “Rat Pack” with Sinatra and Sammy. While he enjoyed huge success on his own through acting and singing roles, his main body of work came with these three, and formed him as a Vegas and American showman legend.
To relive his life would take an entire book, there are plenty about him. For now, what’s important is to delve into his music and that great voice, one of the best of all time.
