Al Martino
(born Alfred Cini
, October 7, 1927, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [1]) is an Italian American singer and actor. Allmusic journalist Steve Huey states, "Martino was one of the great Italian American pop crooners, boasting a string of hit singles and albums that stretched from the early 1950s all the way into the mid 1970s. However, he is perhaps even better known for his role in The Godfather
as singer Johnny Fontane, a character supposedly based on Frank Sinatra, but with eerie similarities to Martino's own career."
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AL MARTINO TICKETS
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Career
His Italian immigrant parents ran a
masonry business, and he worked alongside his
brothers as a
bricklayer whilst growing up.
However, he was more interested in
music, and was inspired by
Al Jolson and
Perry Como to try his own hand at
singing.
When his boyhood friend Alfredo Cocozza changed his name to
Mario Lanza and became an international
opera star, the possibility of a career in music suddenly seemed plausible.
After service with the
U.S. Marines in
World War II, including being a part of the
Iwo Jima invasion where he was wounded, he commenced his singing career. Adopting the stage name Al Martino (after his
maternal grandfather's last name), he performed in local
nightclubs for a time, and moved to
New York in 1948 with Lanza's encouragement.
He went on to win first place on
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
television program, thanks to a rendition of Como's "If," and that exposure helped him land a
recording contract with the Philadelphia based
independent label, BBS.
His
single "
Here in My Heart" was
number one in the first
UK Singles Chart, published by the
New Musical Express
on November 14, 1952, putting him into the
Guinness Book of World Records.
[2] "Here in My Heart" remained in the top position for nine weeks in the
United Kingdom, setting up a record for the longest consecutive run at number one, which over half a century on, has only been beaten by four other tracks ("
I Believe" (11 weeks), "
Cara Mia" (10), "
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (16) and "
Love Is All Around" (15)).
Martino has stated that
Mario Lanza dropped his plans to
record this
song after he called Lanza in
Los Angeles,
California and explained that his own recording would be neglected if he did so.
A
transatlantic chart-topper, "Here in My Heart" earned Martino a
gold disc.
[3] Its success secured Martino a
record label deal with
Capitol Records, and he released three more
singles — "Take My Heart," "Rachel," and "When You're Mine" — through 1953, all of which hit the
U.S. Top 40.
However, Martino's contract was taken over by a
Mafia connected
management team, which ordered Martino to pay $75,000, as a safeguard for their investment.
Martino made a down payment to ensure his family's safety, then fled to the
United Kingdom where his popularity allowed him to perform successfully for a time, headlining at the
London Palladium.
He continued to record in the UK with moderate success, but his work received no exposure back in the
U.S. In 1958, thanks to the intervention of a family friend, Martino was allowed to return home and resume his recording career.
Martino faced an uphill battle re-establishing himself, especially with the counteracting arrival of
rock and roll.
He recorded for
20th Century Fox during the late 1950s, but the label ended up dropping him.
A new album,
The Exciting Voice of Al Martino
(1962) secured a new deal with Capitol, and was followed by a mostly
Italian language album,
The Italian Voice of Al Martino
.
He also made several high-profile television appearances to re-establish his visibility.
He scored a major comeback
hit with 1963's "
I Love You Because."
by
Belford Hendricks, Martino's
cover version went to number three on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number one on the corresponding
Easy Listening chart.
The accompanying album of the same name went Top 10 in the
Billboard 200, and Martino remained a regular visitor to the charts for over a decade afterwards, with hits including "Painted, Tainted Rose" (1963) plus "Always Together," "I Love You More and More Every Day", "Tears and Roses" and "We Could" (all 1964).
One of the most successful Martino hits was "
Spanish Eyes", achieving several
gold and
platinum discs for sales.
[4] Recorded in 1965, the song reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart when re-issued in 1973.
Even today, this classic by
composer Bert Kaempfert (his original title for the
song was "
Moon Over Naples") is among the 50 most-played songs worldwide. Another hit was "
Volare", (also known as "Nel blu, Dipinto di Blu"). In 1976, it reached number one on the
Italian and
Flemish charts, and was in the
Top Ten in
Spain, The
Netherlands and
France, as well as in many other
European countries.
In the
U.S., Martino had eleven Top 40 hits in the
Billboard pop singles chart in the 1960s and 1970s, with 1963's "I Love You Because" (#3) and 1964's "I Love You More and More Every Day" (#9) both reaching the Top Ten. He also sang the title song for the
film,
Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte
(1964), and is credited in the end titles of the film.
Apart from singing, Martino played the role of
Johnny Fontane in the 1972 film
The Godfather
, as well as singing the film's theme, "
I Have But One Heart (O Marenariello)".
He played the same role in "
The Godfather Part II and
The Godfather Part III, as well as
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980''.
Martino toured the
nightclub circuit extensively during the 1970s, and managed one more easy listening hit in 1978's "The Next Hundred Years."
Faced with diminishing returns, he and Capitol finally parted ways in 1982, but Martino continued to perform in clubs, lounges, and casinos for some time afterward, and returned to
recording in 2000 with the album,
Style
.
He recently returned to acting, playing aging crooner Sal Stevens in the short film
Cutout
, appearing in
film festivals around the world in 2006.
Martino currently resides in
Springfield,
Pennsylvania.
Discography
Albums
- 1959: Al Martino
- 1960: Swing Along With Al Martino
- 1962: The Exciting Voice of Al Martino
(U.S. #109)
- 1962: The Italian Voice of Al Martino
(U.S. #57)
- 1963: I Love You Because
(U.S. #7)
- 1963: Painted, Tainted Rose
(U.S. #9)
- 1963: Love Notes
- 1964: A Merry Christmas
- 1964: I Love You More and More Every Day/Tears and Roses
(U.S. #31)
- 1964: Living a Lie
(U.S. #13)
- 1965: My Cherie
(U.S. #19)
- 1965: Somebody Else is Taking My Place
(U.S. #42)
- 1965: We Could
(U.S. #41)
- 1966: Spanish Eyes
(U.S. #8)
- 1966: Think I'll Go Somewhere and Cry Myself to Sleep
(U.S. #116)
- 1966: This is Love
(U.S. #57)
- 1967: Daddy's Little Girl
(U.S. #23)
- 1967: This Love for You
(U.S. #99)
- 1967: Mary in the Morning
(U.S. #63)
- 1968: Love is Blue
(U.S. #56)
- 1968: This is Al Martino
(U.S. #129)
- 1969: Jean
(U.S. #196)
- 1969: Sausalito
(U.S. #189)
- 1970: Can't Help Falling in Love
(U.S. #184)
- 1970: My Heart Sings
(U.S. #172)
- 1972: Love Theme from 'The Godfather
(U.S. #138)
- 1975: To the Door of the Sun
(U.S. #129)
- 1976: In Concert: Recorded With the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
(live)
- 1978: Al Martino Sings
- 1978: Al Martino
- 1982: All of Me
- 1993: The Voice to Your Heart
; produced by Dieter Bohlen in Germany
- 2006: Come Share the Wine
[5]
Compilation albums
- 1968: The Best of Al Martino
(U.S. #108)
- 1999: The Legendary Al Martino
Singles
| Year
| Title
| Album
| U.S. Pop [6]
| U.S. AC | UK Singles Chart [7]
|
| 1952
| "Here in My Heart"
| The Exciting Voice of Al Martino
| 1
|
| 1
|
| "Take My Heart"
|
| 12
|
| 9
|
| 1953
| "Now"
|
|
|
| 3
|
| "Rachel"
|
| 30
|
| 10
|
| 1954
| "Wanted"
|
|
|
| 4
|
| "The Story of Tina"
|
|
|
| 10
|
| 1955
| "The Man from Laramie"
|
|
|
| 19
|
| 1959
| "I Can't Get You Out of My Heart"
| Al Martino
| 44
|
|
|
| "Darling, I Love You"
| 63
|
|
|
| 1960
| "Summertime"
| Swing Along With Al Martino
|
|
| 49
|
| 1961
| "Here in My Heart" (re-recording)
|
| 86
| 17
|
|
| 1963
| "I Love You Because"
| I Love You Because
| 3
| 1
| 48
|
| "Painted, Tainted Rose"
| Painted, Tainted Rose
| 15
| 3
|
|
| "Living a Lie"
| Love Notes
| 22
| 8
|
|
| 1964
| "Silver Bells"
| A Merry Christmas
| 6
|
|
|
| "I Love You More and More Every Day"
| I Love You More and More Every Day/Tears and Roses
| 9
| 3
|
|
| "Tears and Roses"
| 20
| 7
|
|
| "Always Together"
| We Could
| 33
| 4
|
|
| "I Can't Get You Out of My Heart" (reissue)
|
| 99
|
|
|
| "We Could"
| We Could
| 41
| 6
|
|
| 1965
| "My Heart Would Know"
|
| 52
| 11
|
|
| "Somebody Else is Taking My Place"
|
| 53
| 11
|
|
| "My Cherie"
| My Cherie
| 88
| 26
|
|
| "Forgive Me"
| Spanish Eyes
| 61
| 7
|
|
| 1966
| "Spanish Eyes"
| Spanish Eyes
| 15
| 1
| 5 †
|
| "Think I'll Go Somewhere and Cry Myself to Sleep"
| 30
| 2
|
|
| "Wiederseh'n"
| Think I'll Go Somewhere and Cry Myself to Sleep
| 57
| 3
|
|
| "Just Yesterday"
| This Is Love
| 77
| 12
|
|
| "The Wheel of Hurt"
|
| 59
| 12
|
|
| 1967
| "Daddy's Little Girl"
| Daddy's Little Girl
| 42
| 2
|
|
| "Mary in the Morning"
| Mary in the Morning
| 27
| 1
|
|
| "More Than the Eye Can See"
|
| 54
| 1
|
|
| 1968
| "Love Is Blue"
| Love Is Blue
| 57
| 3
|
|
| "Lili Marlene"
|
| 87
| 7
|
|
| "Wake Up to Me Gentle"
|
|
| 21
|
|
| 1969
| "I Can't Help It"
|
| 97
| 10
|
|
| "Sausalito"
| Sausalito
| 99
| 13
|
|
| "I Started Loving You Again"
|
| 86
| 19
|
|
| 1970
| "Can't Help Falling in Love"
| Can't Help Falling in Love
| 51
| 5
|
|
| "Walking in the Sand"
|
|
| 9
|
|
| "True Love Is Greater Than Friendship"
|
|
| 33
|
|
| 1971
| "Come into My Life"
|
|
| 30
|
|
| "Losing My Mind"
|
|
| 39
|
|
| 1972
| "Speak Softly Love"
| Love Theme from 'The Godfather
| 80
| 24
|
|
| "Canta Libre"
|
|
| 37
|
|
| 1975
| "To the Door of the Sun (Alle Porte del Sole)"
| To the Door of the Sun
| 17
| 7
|
|
| "Volare"
| 33
| 9
|
|
| 1976
| "My Thrill"
|
|
| 43
|
|
| "Sing My Love Song"
|
|
| 24
|
|
| 1977
| "Kentucky Morning"
| Love Is Blue
|
| 26
|
|
| 1978
| "The Next Hundred Years"
| Al Martino
| 49
| 6
|
|
| "One Last Time"
|
|
| 44
|
|
† "Spanish Eyes" reached #5 in the UK on re-issue in 1973.
See also
- List of people from Philadelphia
- List of Italian American actors
- List of Italian American entertainers
- List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of Capitol Records artists
- List of crooners
References
- Biography by Steve Huey
- The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits
- The Book of Golden Discs
- The Book of Golden Discs
- Allmusic.com - Charts & Awards (albums)
- Allmusic.com - Charts & Awards (singles)
- British Hit Singles & Albums