Along with older brother Bill, they attended Grant Elementary School in Steubenville. Dean took to playing the drums in his local Boy Scout troupe.
The story goes that one night in August of 1934, Dino's friends pushed him up on stage to sing (since they heard him carry a pretty good tune during his daytime job)…and at age seventeen, the rest is history…
A few years later, Dino wound up at the "State Restaurant" in Columbus, Ohio, singing with the Ernie McKay Band (a local well known group)
Sonny King formally introduced Dean to a young comic at the time, Jerry Lewis. They didn't work together until over a year later, when Dean was booked into the Havana-Madrid Club in March of 1946. In July of '46, Jerry was booked into the "500 Café" better known as the 500 Club. There is conflicting stories of how Dean landed at the 500 Club at the same time, but both stories concur that a singer was needed to "fill the bill", and Jerry recommended Dean.
Right before Dean left for the "500 Club", he landed a recording contract with a small label called "Diamond Records". On Thursday July 11, 1946, Dean recorded his first four songs before heading for what was to become a history- making event.
Best known for: “That’s Amore”, “Memories Are Made of This”, and You’re Nobody til Somebody Loves you”
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