Jasper Cini (October 7, 1927 – October 13, 2009), known professionally as Al Martino, was an American traditional pop and standards singer. 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 crooners", and became known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

''.

Early life

Jasper Cini was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, to Gasparino (also

anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

as "Jasper"; 1905–1958) and Carmela M. Cini (; 1905–1998), one of five siblings. His father and maternal grandfather were immigrants from Nereto in the Italian region of

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

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

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

and

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

, and seeing 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 a ...

Career

After serving with the U.S. Navy in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, during which he took part in the

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

, 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 Losavio's husband Alfred Martin Cianfrani, and began singing in local

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s; coincidentally

Martin of Tours Martin of Tours (; 316/3368 November 397) was the third bishop of Tours. He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe, including France's Third French Republic, Third Republic. A native of Pannonia (present-day Hung ...

is also the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of Martino's ancestral hometown of Nereto in Italy. In 1948, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and in 1951 his first release was issued by the Jubilee 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'') is an American radio and television variety show that ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958. Sponsored by Lipton Tea, it starred Arthur Godfrey, who was also hosting '' Arthur God ...

'' 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". Lanza's label,

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, 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 chart 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, 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 ''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 British reference book published annually, listi ...

''. "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), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, 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", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

, 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 Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

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, after 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, and 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 African ...

. In 1959, Martino signed with

20th Century Fox Records 20th Century Fox Records (also known as 20th Fox Records and 20th Century Records, or simply 20th Century Fox Film Scores and Fox Records) was a wholly owned subsidiary of film studio 20th Century Fox. The history of the label covers three distin ...

; 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", a cover of Leon Payne's 1950

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

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 the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

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''. 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 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 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 on 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of the pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous G ...

(former member of pop duo

Modern Talking Modern Talking was a German pop 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 the to ...

, producer of international artists such as Chris Norman of Smokie, Bonnie Tyler,

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

, Engelbert or Errol Brown of

Hot Chocolate Hot Chocolate are a British soul band formed by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The group had at least one hit song every year on the UK Singles Chart from 1970 to 1984. Their hits include " You Sexy Thing", a UK number two which also made ...

). 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 Johnny Fontane in the 1972 film ''

'', as well as singing the film's theme, " Speak Softly Love". 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, 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 filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

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 music, 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 ...

. Martino, in turn, went to Russell Bufalino, 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 The Bufalino crime family,''Organized Crime in Pennsylvania: Traditional and Non-Traditional''. Pennsylvania Crime Concession. April 15, 1988 also known as the Pittston crime family,Devico, Peter J. ''The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture o ...

(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'' 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 film, epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cop ...

'' into one film). Martino later returned to acting, playing aging crooner Sal Stevens in the short film ''Cutout'', which appeared in film festivals around the world in 2006.

Personal life

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

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 singer Al Martino and his wife, flight attendant and model Judi Stilwell Martino. Known as an expert in ...

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. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Awards and honors

*2009 – inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. *

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 British reference book published annually, listi ...

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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

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: '' I Love You Because'' (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 along with digital sales and streaming. ...

References

External links

* - Dead link. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martino, Al 1927 births 2009 deaths American male film actors Singers 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 Ember Records (UK label) artists Jubilee Records artists 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 People of Abruzzese descent