Dean Martin: Cool Then, Cool Now (2011)

Dean Martin: Cool Then, Cool Now, released in 2011.

Christmas Day 2025 will mark the 30th anniversary of Dean Martin’s passing, but the entertainer remains a suave icon of eternal coolness. Martin’s smooth singing voice, combined with his effortless charm and humor have assured him a secure spot in the pop culture pantheon. Dino has also become a Christmas staple—during the Christmas 2024 season, four of Martin’s seasonal songs charted on the Billboard “Holiday 100” chart, and his version of “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” peaked at number 8 on the Hot 100.  

The 2011 2-CD set Dean Martin: Cool Then, Cool Now, is an interesting collection. The 2 CDs are housed in a beautiful hardcover book that replicates a photo album. For Martin fans, it’s worth buying for the book alone, which reproduces many wonderful snapshots of Dean on high quality glossy paper.  

Dean Martin was many things: a comedian, a serious actor, a singer, a TV star, a nightclub entertainer, a passionate golfer, and a family man. Fittingly, the songs on the two discs are arranged thematically rather than chronologically: “The Entertainer,” “The Family Man,” “The Man-About-Town,” “The Sportsman,” and “The Movie Star.”  

My only complaint about Dean Martin: Cool Then, Cool Now is that at a mere 28 tracks spread across 2 discs, it could have been more comprehensive. Many more songs could have fit on these 2 discs. Of the 28 tracks, 7 are from Martin’s Capitol Records years (1948-1961) and 21 are from his years on the Reprise Record label (1962-1985). The booklet is sadly lacking in information about the songs—when were they recorded? What album was this song originally on? You won’t find out, unfortunately.  

Martin’s three biggest hit singles are here: “Everybody Loves Somebody,” “That’s Amore,” and “Memories Are Made of This.” But there are lots of hits that are missing: “Return to Me,” “On an Evening in Roma,” “I Will,” “Houston,” “The Door is Still Open to My Heart,” and “In the Chapel in the Moonlight” are nowhere to be found, which means that Cool Then, Cool Now doesn’t quite function as a Greatest Hits album. Maybe that’s okay, because there are so many other Dean Martin compilations. Maybe Cool Then, Cool Now is best understood as a kind of “Dean Martin 201,” a more advanced class to take after you’ve mastered the basics.  

What’s really missing from Dino’s discography is a 3 or 4 disc set that includes all of his big hit singles as well as focusing on some of his best album tracks and more overlooked songs. (I have some thoughts about what the track listing for this could look like. Give me a call, Dean Martin Family Trust!)  

Similar to the 2012 Collected Cool set, Cool Then, Cool Now unfortunately overlooks Dino’s later career, as it features only one song from Martin’s 6 albums from the 1970’s, and nothing from his final 1983 album The Nashville Sessions. But both collections get points for including Dean’s final recording, the 1985 single “L.A. Is My Home,” a fun song that finds Dino still in great voice.  

Okay, I’ve complained enough about what songs aren’t included, so I should probably tell you more about what songs are included on these two discs. There are two overdubbed “duets” on Cool Then, Cool Now. The less said about “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” with Kevin Spacey, the better. But the other duet is a delight, “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone,” with the British singer Robbie Williams. Williams, who has curiously never had much chart success in the US, is a big fan of Dean Martin, and his voice mixes well with Dean’s.  

One song that was a prescient pick was “Mambo Italiano,” a hit for Rosemary Clooney that is now one of Dean’s most popular songs on Spotify, with 71 million streams. “Snap Your Fingers,” from Martin’s 1965 album Houston, is an excellent song that deserves the prominent placement it receives here. Dean’s 1966 version of “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” from The Dean Martin TV Show album, is a treat. Beginning with just Dean’s voice and Ken Lane’s piano, you can really appreciate the beauty of Dean’s singing. The same goes for “Gimme a Little Kiss, Will Ya Huh” from the wonderful Dream with Dean LP.  

Disc 2 features 4 terrific country songs that were recorded for Dean’s 1965 LP (Remember Me) I’m the One Who Loves You: “Welcome to My World,” “Born to Lose,” “Bumming Around,” and “King of the Road.” Given that Dino was almost always attired in a tuxedo on his TV show, he might have seemed an unlikely candidate to sing “Bumming Around” and “King of the Road,” both songs about riding the rails, but his versions of these songs are superb. They are a testament to Martin’s interpretive abilities.  

Several songs on Disc 2 are from Martin’s movies. They have rarely been included in collections, so they’re a treat to have. They include “Five Card Stud,” from the Western of the same name, starring Martin and another figure of mid-century cool, Robert Mitchum. Coincidentally, Mitchum and Martin both had hits with the song “Little Old Wine Drinker, Me.” Mitchum had a hit with the song on the Country charts, and Dino’s version was a hit on the Pop charts. “Any Man Who Loves His Mother” is from the Rat Pack movie Robin and the Seven Hoods, and “Side by Side,” “The Glory of Love,” and “Red Sails in the Sunset” are all from the first Matt Helm movie The Silencers.  

Dean Martin: Cool Then, Cool Now, offers ample evidence of Dean Martin’s charm, charisma, and winning way with a song.  

Book Review: Deeper Blues: The Life, Songs, and Salvation of Cornbread Harris by Andrea Swensson (2024)

The cover of Deeper Blues: the Life, Songs, and Salvation of Cornbread Harris, by Andrea Swensson, 2024.

Cornbread Harris is one of the treasures of Minnesota’s music scene. Cornbread has been entertaining audiences in the Twin Cities with his piano playing since the late 1940’s, and on April 23rd, he will turn 98 years old. Cornbread’s fascinating life story is told in the excellent 2024 book Deeper Blues: The Life, Songs, and Salvation of Cornbread Harris. The book was written by Andrea Swensson, who began meeting weekly with Cornbread at his home in 2021 to discuss his life and career. 

Cornbread Harris is one of those musicians who defies easy categorization. You can call his music blues, jazz, rock and roll, but the truth is that it’s a mixture of all of those things, plus more besides. Swensson deftly navigates the reader through Harris’s decades in the Twin Cities music scene. Her research into Harris’s life and career is thorough and comprehensive, and it’s fascinating to see how the tidbits she uncovers spark memories for Cornbread. Harris has many notable accomplishments in his long career. He played piano with the Augie Garcia Quintet on “Hi Ho Silver,” most likely the first rock and roll record made in Minnesota. The Augie Garcia Quintet was also the opening act for Elvis Presley at Presley’s first Minnesota concert appearance at the Saint Paul Auditorium in 1956. Garcia’s group was such a hit that Elvis’ manager Colonel Parker yanked them off the stage, afraid they might upstage Elvis. 

 Cornbread has seen his share of heartbreak in his personal life. Orphaned at the age of three, he was raised in several foster homes before living with his grandparents. Four of Cornbread’s marriages have ended in divorce. Cornbread is the father of one of the architects of the “Minneapolis Sound,” the songwriter and producer Jimmy Jam. Cornbread and Jimmy performed together when Jimmy was a teenager, but after Cornbread and Jimmy’s mom got divorced Cornbread and Jimmy were estranged for many years.  

Deeper Blues examines Cornbread’s past, but it also tells the story of the present day. As Cornbread and Andrea are having weekly discussions about his life, Cornbread is also starting to reconnect with Jimmy. Andrea is able to connect Cornbread and Jimmy through Zoom calls, and she observes the two men reestablish their relationship. It doesn’t feel like a spoiler to mention that the emotional highlight of the story is when Jimmy joins Cornbread on stage in Minneapolis for Cornbread’s 95th birthday concert.  

Cornbread has a sunny disposition, and his mantra is: “I am a blessed dude.” (p.9) He also tells Andrea: “All of my hardships ended up to be blessings.” (p.3) What a wonderful way to look at the world. Swensson has crafted a rich and vibrant portrait of Cornbread: piano player, songwriter, singer, entertainer, a truly remarkable musician and person.  

One of my favorites quotes in the book is from Jimmy Jam: “People don’t remember the details of stuff. But what they do remember is how you made them feel.” (p.186) That is very true, and it’s a quote that I remember hearing for the first time when I was in school to get my teaching license. I tried my best to always make my students feel welcomed and respected.  

Deeper Blues is about music, love, and the connection between a father and a son, with the uplifting message that it’s never too late to forge a new connection. It’s a beautiful message, and you will be blessed by spending some time with Cornbread and Jimmy.