“l sang some songs, acted here and there, but no way would I call myself exceptional. I just hope I did my best for my audiences.”

A somewhat self-depreciating comment from Dean Martin on his own career. It was this laid-back approach to his work, however, that belied a dedicated and professional entertainer. Bernard H Thorpe first got to know Dino in 1960 and what followed for the next thirty or so years was an unexpected working relationship between the two men.

Bernard became instrumental in many of Dino’s album releases in the UK and a staunch promoter of the man’s career across the globe. And so Just Dino – A Personal Recollection of Dean Martin is exactly what it describes: a respectful and unique look back at the career of a true, world-class entertainer and the story of how an unassuming family man from the British media industry became a life-long advocate and friend.

Edited by Linda Nagle. Commissioning editor: Barnaby Eaton-Jones. Published by Chinbeard Books, 2017.

OUT OF PRINT