[SYN-031]
English wasn't Dino Paul Crocetti's first language. At home in Steubenville, Ohio, his family spoke Italian. When he first went to school, the six-year-old son of an immigrant barber was mocked mercilessly by the other kids for his accent and bad grammar. But in the end, Crocetti got his revenge. For he grew up to become Dean Martin, star of stage and screen, singer of songs that sold in the millions - each one of them in perfect English. This CD captures Martin at the very beginning of his illustrious career. "Which Way Did My Heart Go," the opening track, was his first single, cut in July 1946 for Diamond Records. Just turned 29, Dino had gotten into show business relatively late, but as these recordings from the mid-to-late '40s demonstrate, he'd already worked out his basic vocal style. Relaxed, almost offhanded yet at the same time authoritative, the Martin croon was a canny mix of Bing Crosby and the Italian tenors he'd grown up hearing back in Steubenville. If you want to know what made Dino Dino, this is a fine place to start. — Mac Randall