What a wonderful way to start the day! Deana Martin called into the show this morning to talk about what it was like growing up with Dean Martin, meeting Elvis Presley, her memoir “Memories Are Made Of This,” her fabulous new CD "Destination Moon" and so much more! If you missed our conversation, you can listen here.
ABOUT DEANA MARTIN
Ms. Martin made her television debut in 1966, performing on her father's legendary television show, “The Dean Martin Show”. She soon became a frequent guest, taking part in both musical and comedy numbers with a wide array of guests including Frank Sinatra.
Having trained professionally as an actress at the Dartington College of Arts in the United Kingdom, Deana amassed an impressive array of theatrical credits, including the English productions of Romeo & Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet and A Taste of Honey. She made her North American theatrical debut with George Hamilton in the critically acclaimed Neil Simon play The Star Spangled Girl, while later adding to her list of stage credits with appearances in Wait Until Dark,Six Rms Riv Vu, A Shot In the Dark and The Tunnel of Love.
Concurrent with her theatrical work, Ms. Martin was a Reprise Records recording artist. Her hit single, "Girl of the Month Club", was a radio favorite and a chart topper. In demand as a performer, Ms. Martin appeared on many of the top television shows including The Joey Bishop, Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas Shows. She also made a fabled appearance playing the dual roles of Daphne & William on a memorable episode of the popular series The Monkees entitled "Some Like it Lukewarm."
Ms. Martin was introduced to motion picture audiences in 1968's "Young Billy Young", a classic of the western genre, in which she co-starred with Robert Mitchum and Angie Dickinson. Her promising debut led to subsequent film lead roles in "Strangers At Sunrise" with George Montgomery and "A Voice In The Night" with Vito Scotti. In addition to her film and television work, Ms. Martin was a busy nightclub entertainer headlining at the nations top showrooms including Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and the Whisky-A-Go-Go in Hollywood.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Ms. Martin channeled her enthusiasm for health and exercise into a successful fitness company -- Bodies by Deana. This lead to her top selling workout video, The Deana Martin Total Body Workout. She also stared in her own talk show, The Deana Martin Show, which ran for four seasons and over 40 episodes.
She currently entertains audiences internationally with her “Memories Are Made Of This” concert tour and also tours internationally with her best selling book “Memories Are Made Of This.”
Deana's desire to continue her fathers lifelong tradition of support for various children’s charitable causes has lead to her role as the driving force behind The Dean Martin Festival, a yearly event in her father’s hometown of Steubenville, Ohio. Proceeds from this event fund the Dean Martin Music Scholarships; awarded to worthy young people in the Steubenville area.
In 2003, Deana returned to television with a memorable musical performance with Jerry Lewis on the annual MDA Telethon. Martin and Lewis were together again as Deana and Jerry performed a touching duet of Time After Time in honor of her father. Also that year she was invited to speak in Washington D.C. where her father, along with Sophia Loren and Robert DeNiro, where honored by the National Italian American Foundation. This event served as the launch of a new Dean Martin Music Scholarship.
In 2004 Deana broke new ground as an author with her best-selling memoirMemories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughters Eye’s, published by Random House which became an instant best-seller in the US and subsequently attained No. 6 in the Australian best-seller list and reached to 10 in the UK best-seller list. Memories Are Made Of This continues be a best-selling book around the world.
2005 brought Deana back to the concert stage with her critically acclaimed national concert tour Deana Sings Dino. Also that year, Deana joined the Music of Your Life Radio Network, where she hosts the Deana Martin show, a daily nationally syndicated show.
In 2006 Deana began the “Memories Are Made of This” concert tour, in which she sings the fabulous hits of her father Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, and many other of her father’s Pallies. She has performed from Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to the legendary Paramount Theatre in New York, from the Coral Springs Center for the Arts in Florida to Harrahs in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Recently Deana was the special guest star, performing with Regis Philbin at the prestigious Grand Palace Theater, in Branson, Missouri. Their largest performance Art Theatre and in a reunion concert with Davy Jones of the Monkees at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois.
In 2007 Deana performed in over 200 concerts with Les Brown and His Band Of Renown.
In 2008 Deana is touring Domestically and Internationally. She has recently returned from a sold out concert tour with Les Brown Jr. and his Band Of Renown. From the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerittos, CA to 5 shows at Benaroya Hall, in Seattle WA. to the Ford Theatre in Dearborn, MI. Deana is also turning Internationally, from London, England to Dubai in the UAE. Later this year she will be returning to England, as well as performing in Wales, Scotland, Spain and Italy.
A favorite of the media, Deana has been profiled on countless televisions shows both domestically and internationally such as, CBS Sunday Morning Show with Bill Geist, The BBC, The Today Show, Live With Regis and Kelly, The Tony Danza Show, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight, A&E Biography, CMT (Country Music Television), Sky Italia, all the BBC top rated shows including Big Breakfast and many BBC Documenteries including Bruce Forsyth On Vegas. She has been profiled in publications such as, Jazz Times, with a feature story in July 2008AOPA, one of the US’s top selling Aviation magazines, Family Tree magazine, a feature profile in 417 Magazine, Razor Magazine, and featured in one of the largest selling magazines in the world HELLO, as well as numerous newspapers and publications around the US and abroad including, England, Italy, Germany, Japan and Australia and being an accomplished pilot, Deana was also featured as a cover story for Twin Cessna Flyer.
Her debut album, “Memories Are Made of This,” was released August 2006, and has to date, remained on the top 10 charts for 40 consecutive weeks. Deana’s arrangements were written by the world-renowned arranger/conductor Charles Calello. Deana will continue her extensive concert tour throughout the US and abroad.
Today, Deana remains very busy hosting two top nationally syndicated radio shows. One on the largest adult contemporary radio network, “The Music Of Your Life Network”. Deana hosts a daily show with her husband John Griffeth that has over 120 million listeners domestically and 26 million listeners worldwide. On the XM Satellite Network, she hosts “The Strip” (as in Las Vegas). “The Strip” is one of XM’s top rated shows.
Deana Martin is an internationally acclaimed entertainer, performing to sold-out audiences worldwide. She is an accomplished actor, Top-10 recording artist, and daily nationally syndicated radio personality. In her best-selling book, "Memories Are Made Of This", Dean Martin Through His Daughters Eyes", Deana delights in sharing wonderful, never-before-told stories about her father and his "Pallies" known as the Rat Pack. Her book is soon to be made into a movie directed by actor Joe Mantegna and screen play written by actor/writer Bonnie Hunt. In 2009, Deana released her new hit CD "Volare", working with multi-Grammy Award-winner Al Schmitt at Capitol Records in Hollywood, California.
Deana and her husband John Griffeth divide their time between Beverly Hills, CA and Branson, MO.
Find out more about Deana on her website: www.deanamartin.com
