Al Martino
Encyclopedia
Al Martino was an American
singer
and actor
. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid 1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop
crooner
s", and also became well known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The Godfather
.
, Pennsylvania
. The name Jasper was an anglicisation
of his father's name, Gasparino. His parents were immigrants from Abruzzo
, Italy
, who ran a construction business, and while growing up he worked alongside his brothers
as a bricklayer
. However, he was inspired to become a singer by emulating artists such as Al Jolson
and Perry Como
, and by the success of a family friend, Alfredo Cocozza, who had changed his name to Mario Lanza
. After serving with the United States Navy
in World War II
, including being a part of the Iwo Jima
invasion where he was wounded, Cini began his singing career. Encouraged by Lanza, he adopted the stage name Al Martino - Martino being the name of his mother's father - and began singing in local nightclub
s. In 1948 he moved to New York City
, and in 1952 won first place on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
television program
with a performance of Como's hit
"If
".
As a result, he won a recording contract
with the Philadelphia based independent label
BBS, where he recorded the song "Here in My Heart
". Lanza had been asked by his label RCA Victor to record the song, but Martino called and pleaded with him not to do so in order to let Martino's version have a clear run. The song spent three weeks at #1 on the US pop charts
in June 1952, earning Martino a gold disc
and, later in the year, also reached the top of the UK charts. It 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. "Here in My Heart" remained in the top position for nine weeks in the United Kingdom
, a record for the longest consecutive run at #1 which has only since been beaten by five other songs.
The record's success led to a 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, his success also attracted the attention of the Mafia
, which bought out Martino’s management contract and ordered him to pay $75,000 as a safeguard for their investment. After making a down-payment to appease them, he moved to Britain. His popularity allowed him to continue to perform and record successfully in the UK, headlining at the London Palladium
and having six further British chart hits in the period up to 1955, including "Now" and "Wanted". However, his work received no exposure back in the US. In 1958, thanks to the intervention of a family friend, Martino was allowed to return to the US and resume his recording career, but he faced difficulties in re-establishing himself, especially with the arrival of rock and roll
. The success of his 1962 album The Exciting Voice of Al Martino secured him a new contract with Capitol, and was followed by a mostly Italian language
album, The Italian Voice of Al Martino, which featured his version of the then internationally popular song, "Al Di Là." He also made several high-profile television appearances, helping to re-establish his visibility.
In 1963, he had his biggest US chart success with "I Love You Because
", a cover
of Leon Payne
's 1950 country music
hit. Arranged
by Belford Hendricks
, Martino's version went to #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100
chart
, and #1 on the Easy Listening
chart. The album of the same name went Top 10 in the Billboard 200
. Martino had four other US top 10 hits in 1963 and 1964 - "Painted, Tainted Rose" (1963), "I Love You More and More Every Day", "Tears and Roses" and "Silver Bells" (all 1964). He also sang the title song for the 1964 film
, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. One of his biggest hits was "Spanish Eyes
", achieving several gold
and platinum
discs for sales. Recorded in 1965, the song reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart when re-issued in 1973. The song, with a tune by Bert Kaempfert
originally titled "Moon Over Naples
", is among the 50 most played songs worldwide.
Martino's run of chart success faded after the mid-1960s, although many of his records continued to reach the US Hot 100. Another later hit was a disco version of "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 1993, he recorded a new studio album with the German producer, Dieter Bohlen
(former member of pop duo Modern Talking
, producer of international artists like Chris Norman
of Smokie
, Bonnie Tyler
, Dionne Warwick
, Engelbert
or Errol Brown
of Hot Chocolate). The single "Spanish Ballerina" (written in Bohlen's europop sound) reached #93 position in the German single charts.
Apart from singing, Martino played the role of Johnny Fontane
in the 1972
film The Godfather
, as well as singing the film's theme, "Speak Softly Love
". He played the same role in The Godfather Part III
and The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980
. He later returned to acting, playing aging crooner
Sal Stevens in the short film Cutout, appearing in film festivals around the world in 2006.
Martino died on October 13, 2009 at his childhood home in Springfield
, Pennsylvania
, six days after his 82nd birthday. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Martino was survived by his wife Judi and three children. In December 2009, Al Martino was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid 1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
crooner
Crooner
Crooner is an American epithet given to male singers of pop standards, mostly from the Great American Songbook, either backed by a full orchestra, a big band or by a piano. Originally it was an ironic term denoting an emphatically sentimental, often emotional singing style made possible by the use...
s", and also became well known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
.
Biography
Jasper "Al" Cini was born in PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The name Jasper was an anglicisation
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
of his father's name, Gasparino. His parents were immigrants from Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, who ran a construction business, and while growing up he worked alongside his brothers
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
as a bricklayer
Bricklayer
A bricklayer or mason is a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The term also refers to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a "brickie".The training of a trade in...
. However, he was inspired to become a singer by emulating artists such as Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
and Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
, and by the success of a family friend, Alfredo Cocozza, who had changed his name to Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza
right|thumb|[[MGM]] still, circa 1949Mario Lanza was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16....
. After serving with the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, including being a part of the Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
invasion where he was wounded, Cini began his singing career. Encouraged by Lanza, he adopted the stage name Al Martino - Martino being the name of his mother's father - and began singing in local nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s. In 1948 he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and in 1952 won first place on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts is an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
with a performance of Como's hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"If
If (They Made Me a King)
"If " is a popular song.The music was written by Tolchard Evans, the lyrics by Robert Hargreaves and Stanley J. Damerell. The song was written in 1934, but the most popular versions were recorded in 1950-1951...
".
As a result, he won a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with the Philadelphia based independent label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
BBS, where he recorded the song "Here in My Heart
Here in My Heart
"Here in My Heart" is a popular song, written by Pat Genaro, Lou Levinson, and Bill Borrelli, and published in 1952.A recording of the song by Al Martino was a #1 hit single on the United States pop chart. The Martino version also made history as the first number one on the UK Singles Chart, on 14...
". Lanza had been asked by his label RCA Victor to record the song, but Martino called and pleaded with him not to do so in order to let Martino's version have a clear run. The song spent three weeks at #1 on the US pop charts
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in June 1952, earning Martino a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
and, later in the year, also reached the top of the UK charts. It was number one in the first UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, published by the New Musical Express
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
on November 14, 1952, putting him into the Guinness Book of World Records. "Here in My Heart" remained in the top position for nine weeks in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, a record for the longest consecutive run at #1 which has only since been beaten by five other songs.
The record's success led to a deal with Capitol Records, and he released three more singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
— "Take My Heart," "Rachel," and "When You're Mine" — through 1953, all of which hit the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Top 40. However, his success also attracted the attention of the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
, which bought out Martino’s management contract and ordered him to pay $75,000 as a safeguard for their investment. After making a down-payment to appease them, he moved to Britain. His popularity allowed him to continue to perform and record successfully in the UK, headlining at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
and having six further British chart hits in the period up to 1955, including "Now" and "Wanted". However, his work received no exposure back in the US. In 1958, thanks to the intervention of a family friend, Martino was allowed to return to the US and resume his recording career, but he faced difficulties in re-establishing himself, especially with the arrival of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. The success of his 1962 album The Exciting Voice of Al Martino secured him a new contract with Capitol, and was followed by a mostly Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
album, The Italian Voice of Al Martino, which featured his version of the then internationally popular song, "Al Di Là." He also made several high-profile television appearances, helping to re-establish his visibility.
In 1963, he had his biggest US chart success with "I Love You Because
I Love You Because (song)
"I Love You Because" is a 1949 song written and originally recorded by Leon Payne. The single went to number four on the Billboard Country & Western Best Seller lists and spent two weeks at number one on the Country & Western Disk Jockey List, spending a total of thirty-two weeks on the chart...
", a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Leon Payne
Leon Payne
Leon Payne , "the Blind Balladeer", was a country music singer and songwriter.-Life:Leon Roger Payne was born in Alba, Texas on June 15, 1917. He was blind in one eye at birth, and lost the sight of the other eye in early childhood. He attended the Texas School for the Blind from 1924 to 1935,...
's 1950 country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
hit. Arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
by Belford Hendricks
Belford Hendricks
Belford C. Hendricks was an American composer, pianist, arranger, conductor and record producer. He used a variety of names, including Belford Hendricks, Belford Cabell Hendricks, Belford Clifford Hendricks, Sinky Hendricks and Bill Henry...
, Martino's version went to #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, and #1 on the Easy Listening
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart. The album of the same name went Top 10 in the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Martino had four other US top 10 hits in 1963 and 1964 - "Painted, Tainted Rose" (1963), "I Love You More and More Every Day", "Tears and Roses" and "Silver Bells" (all 1964). He also sang the title song for the 1964 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. One of his biggest hits was "Spanish Eyes
Moon Over Naples
"Moon Over Naples" is a 1965 instrumental composed and originally performed by German bandleader Bert Kaempfert and was the first track on his album, The Magic Music of Far Away Places for Decca Records....
", achieving several gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
and platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
discs for sales. Recorded in 1965, the song reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart when re-issued in 1973. The song, with a tune by Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records, and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as "Strangers in the Night" and "Spanish Eyes".-Biography:He was born in Hamburg, Germany - where he received his lifelong...
originally titled "Moon Over Naples
Moon Over Naples
"Moon Over Naples" is a 1965 instrumental composed and originally performed by German bandleader Bert Kaempfert and was the first track on his album, The Magic Music of Far Away Places for Decca Records....
", is among the 50 most played songs worldwide.
Martino's run of chart success faded after the mid-1960s, although many of his records continued to reach the US Hot 100. Another later hit was a disco version of "Volare
Volare (song)
"Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song....
", (also known as "Nel blu, Dipinto di Blu"). In 1976, it reached number one on the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, and was in the Top Ten in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as well as in many other European countries. In 1993, he recorded a new studio album with the German producer, Dieter Bohlen
Dieter Bohlen
Dieter Günter Bohlen is a German songwriter, singer, musician, producer, entertainer, TV personality, and writer. Bohlen is best known for being part of popular pop-duo Modern Talking during 1984–1987 and 1998–2003.-Biography:Bohlen took his Abitur in Oldenburg...
(former member of pop duo Modern Talking
Modern Talking
Modern Talking was a German dance pop duo consisting of Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen. Their music has often been classified as Europop. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching the top 5 in many countries...
, producer of international artists like Chris Norman
Chris Norman
Chris Norman is an English soft rock singer. Norman was the lead singer of Smokie, an English glam rock band from Bradford, which found success in Europe in the 1970s....
of Smokie
Smokie (band)
Smokie is an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire who found success in Europe in the 1970s.-Early years:Originally called The Yen, then The Sphynx and later Essence, the band was formed in 1964 at St. Bede's Grammar School in Heaton, Bradford as The Yen. The Yen's first gig was at Birkenshaw...
, Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
, Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
, Engelbert
Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)
Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
or Errol Brown
Errol Brown
Errol Brown MBE is a singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of Hot Chocolate. He has British citizenship by marriage to Ginette and they live in The Bahamas...
of Hot Chocolate). The single "Spanish Ballerina" (written in Bohlen's europop sound) reached #93 position in the German single charts.
Apart from singing, Martino played the role of Johnny Fontane
Johnny Fontane
John "Johnny" Fontane is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and the series of films based upon it. In Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of the novel, he was portrayed by Al Martino, the role having been turned down by Vic Damone....
in the 1972
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
film The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
, as well as singing the film's theme, "Speak Softly Love
Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather)
"Speak Softly Love " is a song written for The Godfather , the first film in the Godfather trilogy. While its instrumental version is simply known as "The Godfather Love Theme", "Speak Softly Love" is the vocal version. The words are by Larry Kusik but the music itself is by Nino Rota...
". He played the same role in The Godfather Part III
The Godfather Part III
The Godfather Part III is a 1990 American gangster film written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, and directed by Coppola. It completes the story of Michael Corleone, a Mafia kingpin who tries to legitimize his criminal empire...
and The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980
The Godfather Saga
The Godfather Saga is a TV miniseries that combines The Godfather and The Godfather Part II into one film. It originally aired on NBC over four consecutive nights in November 1977...
. He later returned to acting, playing aging crooner
Crooner
Crooner is an American epithet given to male singers of pop standards, mostly from the Great American Songbook, either backed by a full orchestra, a big band or by a piano. Originally it was an ironic term denoting an emphatically sentimental, often emotional singing style made possible by the use...
Sal Stevens in the short film Cutout, appearing in film festivals around the world in 2006.
Martino died on October 13, 2009 at his childhood home in Springfield
Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Springfield Township, or simply Springfield, is a township and a Census Designated Place in Delaware County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 23,677 at the 2000 census...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, six days after his 82nd birthday. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Martino was survived by his wife Judi and three children. In December 2009, Al Martino was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Studio albums
- 1959: Al Martino
- 1960: Swing Along With Al Martino
- 1962: The Exciting Voice of Al Martino (U.S.Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
#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)
- 1977: Time after time
- 1978: Al Martino Sings
- 1978: Al Martino
- 1982: All of Me
- 1993: The Voice to Your Heart; produced by Dieter BohlenDieter BohlenDieter Günter Bohlen is a German songwriter, singer, musician, producer, entertainer, TV personality, and writer. Bohlen is best known for being part of popular pop-duo Modern Talking during 1984–1987 and 1998–2003.-Biography:Bohlen took his Abitur in Oldenburg...
in Germany - 2006: Come Share the Wine
- 2011: Thank You
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | U.S. Pop Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | "Here in My Heart Here in My Heart "Here in My Heart" is a popular song, written by Pat Genaro, Lou Levinson, and Bill Borrelli, and published in 1952.A recording of the song by Al Martino was a #1 hit single on the United States pop chart. The Martino version also made history as the first number one on the UK Singles Chart, on 14... " |
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 Summertime (song) "Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP.... " |
Swing Along With Al Martino | 49 | ||
| 1961 | "Here in My Heart" (re-recording) | 86 | 17 | ||
| 1963 | "I Love You Because I Love You Because (song) "I Love You Because" is a 1949 song written and originally recorded by Leon Payne. The single went to number four on the Billboard Country & Western Best Seller lists and spent two weeks at number one on the Country & Western Disk Jockey List, spending a total of thirty-two weeks on the chart... " |
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 Moon Over Naples "Moon Over Naples" is a 1965 instrumental composed and originally performed by German bandleader Bert Kaempfert and was the first track on his album, The Magic Music of Far Away Places for Decca Records.... " |
Spanish Eyes | 15 | 1 | 5 A |
| "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 The Wheel of Hurt "The Wheel of Hurt" is the title of a popular song from 1966 . The song was written by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder.Two versions of "The Wheel of Hurt" were released in late 1966 at virtually the same time... " |
59 | 12 | |||
| 1967 | "Daddy's Little Girl" | Daddy's Little Girl | 42 | 2 | |
| "Mary in the Morning Mary in the Morning "Mary in the Morning" is a song written by American songwriter and record producer Michael Rashkow and singer Johnny Cymbal. "Mary in the Morning" was recorded by a number of artists including:* Elvis Presley* Glen Campbell* Guy Fletcher... " |
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 Lili Marleen "Lili Marleen" is a German love song which became popular during World War II.Written in 1915 during World War I, the poem was published under the title "Das Lied eines jungen Soldaten auf der Wacht" in 1937, and was first recorded by Lale Andersen in 1939 under the... " |
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" B | 86 | 19 | |||
| 1970 | "Can't Help Falling in Love Can't Help Falling in Love "Can't Help Falling in Love" is a pop song originally recorded by American singer Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley's publishing company. It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. The melody was based on "Plaisir d'Amour" but with a different... " |
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 Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather) "Speak Softly Love " is a song written for The Godfather , the first film in the Godfather trilogy. While its instrumental version is simply known as "The Godfather Love Theme", "Speak Softly Love" is the vocal version. The words are by Larry Kusik but the music itself is by Nino Rota... " |
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 Volare (song) "Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song.... " |
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 |
- A "Spanish Eyes" reached number 5 in the UK on re-issue in 1973.
- B "I Started Loving You Again" also peaked at number 69 on Hot Country SongsHot Country SongsHot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
.
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
External links
- Official web site
- Cutout movie on IMDb
- Al Martino - Daily Telegraph obituary