Al Martino (born Jasper Cini; October 7, 1927 – October 13, 2009) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

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 Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic range ...

s", and also became known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer

Johnny Fontane This is a list of characters from the film series ''The Godfather'' consisting of ''The Godfather'' (1972), ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974) and ''The Godfather Part III'' (1990), based on Mario Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same name, as ...

in ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...

''.

Early life

Jasper Cini was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The name Jasper was an

anglicisation Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

of his father's name, Gasparino. His parents were immigrants from the region of

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

, in the town of Nereto,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, who ran a construction business. While growing up, he worked alongside his brothers, Pasquale and Francis as a

bricklayer A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsman and tradesman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. ...

. He aspired to become a singer, emulating artists such as

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-bi ...

and

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

, and by the success of a family friend, Alfredo Cocozza, who had changed his name to

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza (, ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at ...

Career

After serving with the United States Navy in World War II, during which he took part in the Iwo Jima invasion, in which he was wounded, Cini began his singing career. Encouraged by Lanza, he adopted the stage name Al Martino, based on the name of his good friend Lorraine Cianfrani's (née Losavio) husband Alfred Martin Cianfrani, and began singing in local

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s. In 1948, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and in 1951 his first release was issued by the

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

label, "Heaven Help Me (I'm in Love)", coupled with "Hurry Home to Me". The following year, he won first place on ''

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts ''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts'' (also known as ''Talent Scouts'') was an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958. Sponsored by Lipton Tea, it starred Arthur Godfrey, who was also hosting ''Arthur Godf ...

'' television program with a performance of Como's hit " If". Al Martino 1952

As a result, he won a recording contract with the Philadelphia-based independent record label BBS, where he recorded "

Here in My Heart "Here in My Heart" is a popular song written by Pat Genaro, Lou Levinson, and Bill Borrelli, first published in 1952. A recording of the song by Italian-American singer Al Martino made history as the first number one hit on the UK Singles Chart, ...

". Lanza's label,

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, had asked Lanza to record the song, but Martino called Lanza and pleaded with him to let Martino's version have a clear chance. The song spent three weeks at No. 1 on the US pop charts in June 1952, earning Martino a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

, and later in the year, also reached the top of the UK charts. It was number one in the first

UK Singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, published by the ''New Musical Express'' on November 14, 1952, putting him into the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

''. "Here in My Heart" remained in the top position for nine weeks in the UK. The record's success led to a deal with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, 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 "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

, 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 The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...

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 U.S. and resume his recording career, but he faced difficulties in re-establishing himself, especially with the arrival of

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

. In 1959, Martino signed with 20th Fox Records; his deal scored him two albums, and four singles released, none of which was a major hit. 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 U.S. chart success with "

I Love You Because ''I Love You Because'' is a musical set in modern-day New York. It is based on Jane Austen's novel ''Pride and Prejudice''. It features lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, set to music by Joshua Salzman. Production history Cunningham and Salzman first met ...

", a cover of

Leon Payne Leon Roger Payne (June 15, 1917 – September 11, 1969), "the Blind Balladeer", was an American country music singer and songwriter. Life He was born in Alba, Texas, United States. He was blind in one eye at birth, and lost the sight in the othe ...

's 1950

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

hit. Arranged by Belford Hendricks, Martino's version went to number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and number one on the

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart. The album of the same name went top 10 in the ''Billboard'' 200. Martino had four other U.S. 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 ''Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' is a 1964 American psychological thriller film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich, and starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead and Mary Astor in her final film role. It fo ...

''. One of his biggest hits was " Spanish Eyes", achieving several gold and platinum discs for sales. Recorded in 1965, the song reached number five on the UK Singles chart when reissued in 1973. The song, with a tune by

Bert Kaempfert Bert Kaempfert (born Berthold Heinrich Kämpfert; 16 October 1923 – 21 June 1980) was a German orchestra leader, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, arranger, and composer. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records and wrote the mus ...

originally titled "

Moon Over Naples "Moon Over Naples" is a 1965 instrumental composed and recorded by German bandleader Bert Kaempfert. The instrumental version reached No. 6 on ''Billboards Adult Contemporary chart. It won a BMI Award in 1968. Vocal versions of the song have b ...

", 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 U.S. 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 10 in Spain, the Netherlands, and France, as well as in many other European countries. In 1993, Martino recorded a new studio album with German producer

Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...

(former member of pop duo

Modern Talking Modern Talking was a German pop music duo consisting of arranger, songwriter and producer Dieter Bohlen and singer Thomas Anders. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching th ...

, producer of international artists such as

Chris Norman Christopher Ward Norman (born 25 October 1950) is an English soft rock singer. Norman was the original lead singer of the English rock band Smokie (band), Smokie, (1964–1986), who found success in Europe in the 1970s. "Stumblin' In", a 1978 ...

of Smokie,

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

, Engelbert or

Errol Brown Lester Errol Brown MBE (12 November 1943 – 6 May 2015) was a British-Jamaican singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the soul and funk band Hot Chocolate. In 2004, Brown received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contributi ...

Hot Chocolate Hot chocolate, also known as hot cocoa or drinking chocolate, is a heated drink consisting of shaved chocolate, melted chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and usually a sweetener like whipped cream or marshmallows. Hot chocolate ...

). The single "Spanish Ballerina" (written in Bohlen's europop sound) reached number 93 in the German single charts.

Acting

Apart from singing, Martino played the role of

in the 1972 film ''

'', as well as singing the film's theme, "

Speak Softly Love "Love Theme from ''The Godfather''" is an instrumental theme from the 1972 film ''The Godfather'', composed by Nino Rota. The piece was lyricized in English by Larry Kusik into "Speak Softly, Love", a popular song released in 1972. The highes ...

". Martino had been told about the character by a friend who had read the eponymous novel and felt Martino represented the character of Johnny Fontane. Martino contacted producer

Albert S. Ruddy Albert Stotland Ruddy (born March 28, 1930) is a Canadian-American film and television producer. He is known for producing ''The Godfather'' (1972) and '' Million Dollar Baby'' (2004), both of which won him the Academy Award for Best Picture, as ...

, who initially gave him the part. Martino was stripped of the part, however, after

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

came on board as director and awarded the role to singer

Vic Damone Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018) was an American traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit " You're Breaking My Heart", an ...

. Martino, in turn, went to

Russell Bufalino Russell Alfred Bufalino (; born Rosario Alfredo Bufalino, ; September 29, 1903 – February 25, 1994) was an Italian-American mobster who became the crime boss of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Italian-American Mafia crime family known as the ...

, his godfather and a crime boss, who then orchestrated the publication of various news articles that claimed Coppola had been unaware of Ruddy having given Martino the part. Damone eventually dropped the role because he did not want to provoke the Bufalino crime family (in addition, Damone felt he was being paid too little for the role). Ultimately, the part of Johnny Fontane was given to Martino. He played the same role in ''

The Godfather Part III ''The Godfather Part III'' is a 1990 American crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from the screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo. The film stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegn ...

'' and '' The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980'' (the television miniseries that combines ''The Godfather'' and ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...

'' into one film). Martino later returned to acting, playing aging

Sal Stevens in the short film ''Cutout'', which appeared in film festivals around the world in 2006.

Family

Martino was married first to Jenny Furini; then to Gwendolyn Wenzel; and, finally, to Judi Stilwell Martino, to whom he was married at the time of his death. He had three children: Alfred Cini, Alana Cini, and

Alison Martino Alison Martino (born December 15, 1970, in Los Angeles, California) is a writer, television producer and historian. She is the daughter of the late singer Al Martino and his wife, American Airlines flight attendant and model Judi Stilwell Martino. ...

. Alison Martino is a writer and television producer of such programs as ''

Mysteries and Scandals ''Mysteries and Scandals'' (also known as ''Mysteries & Scandals'') is an American television program hosted by A.J. Benza. The series was originally broadcast on the E! network from March 1998 until February 2001. Synopsis The series detail ...

'' and ''

Headliners and Legends ''MSNBC Documentaries'' is the umbrella title of a series of documentaries co-produced by NBC News and MSNBC. Broadcast on MSNBC, each documentary is given its own title to broadcast under (e.g., ''Lockup: Return to Pelican Bay'') or has been p ...

''.

Death

Martino died from a heart attack on October 13, 2009, at his home in Springfield,

, six days after his 82nd birthday. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Awards and honors

*2009 – inducted into the

Hit Parade Hall of Fame John Harlan Rook (October 9, 1937 - March 1, 2016) was an American radio programmer and executive, most known for his tenure in Chicago. Under his guidance in the 1960s, 50,000-watt ABC-owned WLS became the highest rated station in the Chicago ...

. *

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for first No. 1 record in the U.K.

Filmography

Discography

Studio albums

*1959: ''Al Martino'' (20th Century Fox) *1960: ''Swing Along With Al Martino'' (20th Century Fox) *1962: ''The Exciting Voice of Al Martino'' (

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

No. 109) Capitol Records *1962: ''The Italian Voice of Al Martino'' (U.S. No. 57) *1963: ''When Your Love Has Gone'' (20th Century Fox) *1963: ''

'' (U.S. No. 7) *1963: ''Painted, Tainted Rose'' (U.S. No. 9) *1963: ''Love Notes'' *1963: ''Sings Great Italian Love Songs'' *1964: ''A Merry Christmas'' (U.S. Christmas No. 8) *1964: ''I Love You More and More Every Day/Tears and Roses'' (U.S. No. 31) *1964: ''Living a Lie'' (U.S. No. 13) *1965: ''My Cherie'' (U.S. No. 19) *1965: ''Somebody Else is Taking My Place'' (U.S. No. 42) *1965: ''We Could'' (U.S. No. 41) *1966: ''Spanish Eyes'' (U.S. No. 8) *1966: ''Think I'll Go Somewhere and Cry Myself to Sleep'' (U.S. No. 116) *1966: ''This is Love'' (U.S. No. 57) *1967: ''Daddy's Little Girl'' (U.S. No. 23) *1967: ''This Love for You'' (U.S. No. 99) *1967: ''Mary in the Morning'' (U.S. No. 63) *1968: '' Love is Blue'' (U.S. No. 56) *1968: ''This is Al Martino'' (U.S. No. 129) *1968: ''Wake Up to Me Gentle'' *1969: ''Jean'' (U.S. No. 196) *1969: ''Sausalito'' (U.S. No. 189) *1970: ''Can't Help Falling in Love'' (U.S. No. 184) *1970: ''My Heart Sings'' (U.S. No. 172) *1972: ''Love Theme from 'The Godfather (U.S. No. 138) *1972: ''Summer of '42'' (U.S. No. 204) *1973: ''Country Style'' *1974: ''I Won't Last a Day Without You'' *1975: ''To the Door of the Sun'' (U.S. No. 129) *1976: ''In Concert: Recorded With the

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Edmonton, Alberta. As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city it presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to co ...

'' (live) RockyRock *1976: ''Sing My Love Songs'' *1978: ''The Next Hundred Years'' *1978: ''Al Martino Sings'' (20th Century Fox) *1978: ''Al Martino'' *1982: ''All of Me'' (MovieTone) *1990: ''Quando,Quando, Quando'' (Dynamic) *1991: ''Al Martino: In Concert'' (Prestige) *1993: ''The Voice to Your Heart''; produced by

in Germany (Dino Music) *2000: ''Style'' (Varèse Sarabande) *2006: ''Come Share the Wine'' (Sin-Drome) *2011: ''Thank You''

Compilations

*196?: ''Romantic World of Al Martino'' (Capitol) *1965: ''That Old Feeling'' (MovieTone) *1966: ''Don't Go to Strangers'' (Pickwick) *1968: ''Al Martino'' (Guest Star) *1968: ''The Best of Al Martino'' (U.S. No. 108) *1970: ''Here in My Heart/Yesterday'' *1971: ''I Wish You Love/Losing You'' *1971: ''Al Martino'' (3 LP Set) *1978: ''Time After Time'' (Springboard) *1990: ''Greatest Hits'' (Curb) *1992: ''Capitol Collectors Series'' *1996: ''20 Great Love songs'' (Disky) *1998: ''Touch of Class'' (Disky) *1999: ''The Legendary Al Martino'' (Metro) *1999: ''The Al Martino Collection: I Love You Because'' (Razor & Tie) *1999: ''I Love You Because/My Cherie'' *2000: ''Hits of Al Martino'' *2004: ''Essential Al Martino'' (Fuel 2000) *2005: ''Ultimate Al Martino'' *2006: ''We Could/Think I'll Go Somewhere And Cry Myself to Sleep'' *2006: ''Very Best of Al Martino'' *2007: ''An Introduction to Al Martino'' (Varèse Sarabande) *2012: ''Makin' Whoopee'' (Sepia) *2013: ''Take My Heart'' (Jasmine) *2018: ''The Singles Collection: 1952-1962'' (Acrobat) Label is mainly Capitol Records

Singles

* ^A "Spanish Eyes" reached #5 in the UK on re-issue in 1973. * ^B "I Started Loving You Again" also peaked at #69 on

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

References

External links

* - Dead link. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martino, Al 1927 births 2009 deaths American male film actors Musicians from Philadelphia American people of Italian descent Traditional pop music singers American crooners Cub Records artists Swing musicians Capitol Records artists United States Marines American jazz musicians Jubilee Records artists Singers from Pennsylvania People of Abruzzese descent 20th-century American singers People from Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers American male jazz musicians