As a boy, I discovered Dean Martin's music by way of a record called Merry Music Christmas:

The record was split up into songs sung by Dean and songs played on trumpet by Jackie Gleason. I remember not caring much for the trumpet songs, probably because I played the trumpet myself. Over the years, my interest in Dean Martin waxed and waned. But like a moth to a flame, I soon returned.

While in basic training for the Army, I learned of the passing of Sammy Davis, Jr. At the time, my only familiarity with Sammy Davis, Jr. was that he freqently sang the "Candy Man" song from the Willy Wonka movie. The news of his passing brought my first inkling of what had been known as the "Rat Pack."

My interest in Dean increased while in the Army primarily because my friend, Howard, really enjoyed watching Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis movies. I would try to catch the duo's movies whenever I could. Perhaps, because I related more to the awkwardness of Lewis, I admired Dean all the more.

When my interest in Dean's music started waxing, I tried finding his Christmas music again. Unfortunately, it took me a good two years before I found one in the closeout section of Wal-Mart. Unremarkable in its design, the CD's sleeve consisted of a slip of waxy paper stamped with a picture of Dean hugging a woman..both clad in wintry garb.

The important thing, though, was that the songs I loved were on it:
"Baby, It's Cold Outside", "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", "Winter Wonderland", and Dean's in-character version of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

Since I finally found the CD in January, the CD waited around 10 months for the next holiday season. When Christmas, 1995, rolled around, I played the heck out of that CD. It was actually playing in parents' garage--a backdrop to our ping-pong play--when I first heard the news of Dean's passing. Interestingly, Dean passed away the same day his mom did...only several years later.

Since his passing, there has been an renewed interest in Dean's work. The next year, I noticed a slew of greatest hits CD's on the market. A revival of swing and big-band sounding music was heralded by the debut of the movie Swingers which featured a prominently placed, "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You."

This explosion in interest in the man born Dino Crocetti was a good thing. I've increased my collection of his music by at least 10 times. My favourite Dean CD is a two-on-one combining This Time I'm Swinging with Pretty Baby. There is a marked difference between the sounds of these two records. The first was orchestrated by Nelson Riddle, and it is definitely a more raucous album than the laidback melodies comprising Pretty Baby. Both cover shots, though, are priceless.

My favourite picture of Dean is one taken from the CD, Making Spirits Bright, released Christmas of 1998. In this shot, Dean sits near a fireplace--looking wistfully into space--his only company being a mini suit of knight's armor holding sentry next to the hearth. It is an image that contradicts the happy-go-lucky Dean shown in so many other pictures. Symbolically, the little suit of armor might even represent the shell within which Dean reportedly lived much of his life.