Deana Martin

Deana Martin is an influential American singer, actor, performer and daughter of iconic entertainer, Dean Martin.

Contents •1 Early life •2 Musical career ◦“Memories Are Made of This - 2006◦ ◦“Volare” – 2009 ◦“White Christmas” – 2011 ◦“Destination Moon” – 2013 •3 Books •4 Movies •5 Honoring Her Father •6 Media Appearances •7 References •8 External links

Early Life

Deana Martin was born in Manhattan, New York, to Dean Martin and his first wife, Elizabeth (Betty) MacDonald. She moved to Beverly Hills, California with her family by the age of one. She later went to live with Dean and his second wife, Jeannie Biegger. While her childhood was normal to her, the fact that her dad’s Rat Pack friends Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. were part of her life made it extraordinary. One thing Deana learned growing up in the Dean Martin household was that entertainment was to be her career destiny.

Deana made her television debut in 1966, performing on “The Dean Martin Show.” She became a frequent guest, taking part in both musical and comedy numbers with a wide array of entertainers including Frank Sinatra.

Deana trained professionally as an actor at the Dartington College of Arts in the United Kingdom. She has performed in theater productions in a variety of leading roles onstage including “Romeo & Juliet," "A Shot In The Dark" and the National Touring Company for "The Star Spangled Girl" with George Hamilton. The entertainer has graced the silver screen and co-stared alongside Robert Mitchum, Angie Dickinson and David Carradine in “Young Billy Young”; Vito Scotti in “Pisano A Voice In The Night”; and George Montgomery in “Strangers at Sunrise.”

Deana first established herself as a recording artist with producer Lee Hazlewood for the Reprise Records label. The recordings included her country hit, "Girl of the Month Club," while Deana was still a teenager. Other tunes on the project were “When He Remembers Me,” “Baby I See You” and “The Bottom Of My Mind,” the latter two considered to be some of Hazlewood’s best work during the 1960’s. Musicians from the famous Los Angeles group the Wrecking Crew, that included Glen Campbell on guitar, played on these records.

In 2009 the singer’s CD “Volare,” released on Big Fish Records, was in both the “Billboard” Top Jazz Albums chart and the “Billboard” Heat Seekers chart. It was preceded by “Memories Are Made of This” in 2006. Deana’s current release, “Destination Moon,” is a compilation of her favorite jazz and pop songs, plus a duet with her father, Dean Martin, on “True Love.”

The singer is also an author with her New York Times best-selling book, “Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter’s Eyes.”

Deana enjoys singing her father’s songs as well as her favorite classic pop hits. She performs in venues around the world including symphony halls, performing arts centers, blues venues, jazz clubs and festivals.

Deana is a health enthusiast, and in the 1980s and 90s, she developed the company Bodies by Deana, releasing a top-selling workout video, “The Deana Martin Total Body Workout.”

Deana and her producer/husband, John Griffeth, divide their time between a home in Beverly Hills, California and Branson, Missouri.

Musical Career

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

Deana returned to the recording studio in 2005 to work on her first full-length album, “Memories Are Made of This” for Big Fish Records. She covered some of her father’s most revered songs, including the title cut along with “Everybody Loves Somebody,” “That’s Amore,” “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head” and “For Your Love,” written by her mother Betty Martin. She also sang a duet with Jerry Lewis on “Time After Time.”

The album, produced by her husband John Griffeth, reached the iTunes Top 10 chart, where it remained for 40 weeks throughout 2006 and 2007.

VOLARE

By 2008, following her successful sold-out “Memories Are Made of This” concert tour, Deana was ready to record again. At Capitol Records she and husband/producer John Griffeth assembled an A-team of musicians and a production crew helmed by 19-time Grammy™ Award winning recording engineer, Al Schmitt. “Volare” was released in 2009 and debuted at number 7 on “Billboard’s” Heat Seeker chart, and climbed to 22 on the magazine’s Jazz Albums Chart; it also charted on iTunes Top 10.

The album of 15 pop standards includes “Mack the Knife,” “What a Difference a Day Makes,” “Love Me Tender” and “That Old Black Magic,” along with the title tune. Some of the magic captured on the album can be credited to the emotional impact on Deana from using her dad’s microphone to record the project. In fact, Deana was at the famed Studio A at Capitol Records in Hollywood, California, on many occasions when her father, Dean Martin, was recording.

WHITE CHRISTMAS

In 2011, Deana released her first album of holiday favorites, “White Christmas.” Joined by Andy Williams on the title track, Deana covered 10 of her favorite tunes, including “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm,” “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow,” and “Winter Wonderland.”

The singer again recorded with the team of Al Schmitt, John Griffeth and Charles Calello for her third album project.

DESTINATION MOON

A year later, Deana was back in the studio working on her 2013 CD, “Destination Moon.” The album is a compilation of her favorite jazz and pop songs, including a duet with her father Dean Martin on the Cole Porter song, “True Love.” The album features 15 of the singer’s distinctive takes on such classics as “Break It To Me Gently,” “I Love Being Here With You” and “Beyond the Sea.” Four new songs are included: “Where Did You Learn to Love Like That,” “Stuck in a Dream with Me,” “Read Between the Lines” and “Paradise.”

CONCERTS

Deana has a huge repertoire of music to choose from when she is in concert. She can pay homage to her father and draw from the Great American Songbook to find a combination of songs sure to please any audience. Her repertoire allows her to perform in a variety of venues, from the showrooms of Las Vegas to jazz festivals, performing arts centers, jazz clubs and with world-famous symphonies.

Her bookings have taken her from Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to the Paramount Theatre in New York City. She is equally at home at the Coral Springs (Florida) Center for the Arts, Harrah’s in Atlantic City, Rrazz Room in San Francisco, the Salt Lake City Jazz Festival, the Whiskey-A-Go Go on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, The Sands in Macao or Benaroya Hall, Seattle’s Symphony Hall.

AUTHOR

In 2004, Deana released “Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter’s Eyes.” The book is an unvarnished look at Dean Martin and his family, and gives tremendous insight into the varied sides of the entertainer she knew as her father. She shares stories about his friends in the Rat Pack that have never been told before from a perspective of a young girl growing up around them. She talks about how her father handled his busy career, public performances and his personal role as husband and father. She bravely talks about losing her brother, Dino, in a plane crash, and how hard it was to deal with that experience. Deana also writes about growing up among Hollywood’s elite, including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and the Beatles, going ball room dancing with a young Jeff Bridges and dating Davy Jones of The Monkees.

“Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter’s Eyes,” made Deana a “New York Times” best-selling author. It was a best seller in the United States, Australia and England. The book was published by Random House in the U.S. and Macmillan in the UK.

On Stage and in the Movies

Deana trained professionally at the Dartington College of Arts in the United Kingdom. Her theatrical credits, include the English productions of "Romeo & Juliet," "The Taming of the Shrew," "Hamlet," "A Taste of Honey" and many others.

She made her North American theatrical debut in the National Touring Company staring with George Hamilton and Jimmy Boyd in the critically acclaimed Neil Simon play "The Star Spangled Girl." Other starring roles include "Wait Until Dark," "6 Rms Riv Vu," "A Shot In the Dark" and "The Tunnel of Love".

Deana made her major motion picture debut in "Young Billy Young," a classic of the Western genre in which she starred with Robert Mitchum, David Carradine and Angie Dickinson. This debut led to subsequent starring roles in the films "Strangers At Sunrise" with George Montgomery, and “A Voice In The Night" with Vito Scotti.

Honoring Her Father

For many years, Deana and husband John Griffeth worked tirelessly to encourage the state of Ohio to recognize the achievements and career of Ohio’s Favorite Son, Dean Martin. Throughout his career, her father never forgot his roots in Steubenville, Ohio.

The couple’s hard work paid off in 2001. Ohio Governor Bob Taft signed Senate Bill number 17, which henceforth enacted each June 7 as Dean Martin Day in the Buckeye State.

In 2002, an Ohio Historical Marker was unveiled in Dean’s hometown. This marker serves as a reminder of the indelible link between the Ohio Valley city and one of the most beloved entertainers of all time.

Media Appearances

Deana's television debut came on her Dad’s wildly successful Thursday night NBC variety series, "The Dean Martin Show." Appearing in musical and comedy performances with her Dad and guests like Frank Sinatra paved the way for Deana to be invited for other TV guest spots.

Deana is welcomed on television shows around the world. A few of the shows she has appeared on are “The View,” “Fox and Friends,” “The Bonnie Hunt Show,” “The Today Show,” “Live with Regis & Kelly,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” “The O’Reilly Factor,” “Larry King Live,” “A&E Biography,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “E! Entertainment Television,” “Access Hollywood,” “The Tony Danza Show,” “Music City USA,” “CMT (Country Music Television),” “Sky Italia,” and all the top rated BBC shows including “Big Breakfast” and “Bruce Forsyth on Vegas.” She also starred in her own TV talk show, “The Deana Martin Show,” which ran for four seasons.

In 2003 Deana appeared with Jerry Lewis for a memorable musical performance on the annual MDA Telethon. The two sang the duet “Time After Time” in honor of her father.

Some of the publications the entertainer has been profiled in include “Jazz Times,” “Family Tree Magazine,” “417 Magazine,” “Razor Magazine” and “HELLO.” Profiles on Deana have appeared in countless newspapers and publications around the US and abroad including England, Italy, Germany, Japan and Australia. Deana was also featured in a cover story for the magazine “Twin Cessna Flyer” and “AOPA” (one of America's top selling aviation magazines), both of which talked with her about her passion for flying. She is a licensed pilot.

In 2005, Deana joined Sirius/XM Satellite Radio as host of a weekly show and currently hosts various specials for the satcaster. One of her favorites to host was “Siriously Sinatra.”