Dean Martin

Dean Martin

Dean Martin was a singer and actor who was very poor and eventually made something big out of himself. Now Dean Martin is a legend for all the accomplishments he made.

During Dean Martin’s life he had some bumps in his road, on his way to stardom. Dean Martin was born on June 7, 1917 and died on December 25, 1995. He was born in Steubenville, Ohio just east of Canton and south of Cleveland and Youngstown. His father was Gaetano Crocetti, who was a barber, and his mother was Angela Barra Crocetti. During his childhood Dean Martin enjoyed listening to music and loved to sing. Sadly he grew up in a poor family and dropped out of school in his sophomore year. After he dropped out of high school, he worked as a filling-station attendant at a steel mill. This job seemed to bore him; he had no interest in that particular job. Later he got interested in pursuing Steubenville’s nightlife.

Later in his life, he began to start his career that he always wanted to do. Dean Martin first sang publicly in 1943, after his friends dared him to take the stage in Youngstown, Ohio. After that time he sang regularly at clubs and community centers, mostly in Steubenville and Youngstown, Ohio. His career hit it big in 1939 when he sang in a band led by Ernie McKay, and billed him as “Dino Martini” (after a popular singer named Nino Martini, for his romantic music). In 1940 he joined a popular band with Sammy Watkins, and Americanized his name to “Dean Martin” again.

Heroes show loyal and bravery; they show perseverance and they also show dedication. Dean Martin showed all these characteristics when he came from a poor family and became a big singer and actor. Dedication was shown when he was young and loved to sing and listen to music, and pursued his life to be one. Dean Martin shows those characteristics for a hero, and I respect him for them.