Dean Martin

Dean Martin was a towering pop-culture icon of the 20th century. He first became known as part of a wildly successful music-and-comedy team with Jerry Lewis in the 1940s and '50s, subsequently becoming a solo singing star. His mellow, Bing Crosby-inspired crooning style lent itself well to everything from Italian ballads to pop standards and even C&W material. As part of Frank Sinatra's notorious Rat Pack, he took part in numerous films and concerts with Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. A major presence in movies, and on TV, radio, and records up to the 1970s, Martin was one of the most recognizable faces in America. He had been in retirement from show business for several years when he died in 1995 at the age of 78.

• pop
• easy listening
• italian
• 1970s
• 1960s
• 1980s
• 2000s