Tony Martin: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Dick Haymes
• Vic Damone
• Bob Eberly
• Dean Martin
• Victor Young & His Orchestra
• Henri René & His Orchestra
• Vaughn Monroe

• Bing Crosby
• Russ Columbo

• Daniel O'Donnell
• Engelbert Humperdinck

• Alice Faye

• Jerome Kern
• Ben Oakland
• Oscar Hammerstein II
• Leo Robin
• Richard A. Whiting
• Gus Kahn
• Irving Berlin

• Black Sabbath

• Tony Iommi

Birth Name:

Alvin Morris

Born:

Dec 25, 1913 in Oakland, CA

Genres:

Classical Music, Standards & Vocal Music, Show Tunes, Traditional Pop Vocal Music

Decades Active:

1930's|1940's|1950's

Artistic Quality

Low

Cultural Impact

Low

Popularity

Low

Ratings Guide

A popular crooner of the 1940s and '50s, Tony Martin's deliberate delivery and romantic ballads were more in keeping with vintage movie musicals than the currents that would shape the pop music of the last half of the 20th century. Taking his inspiration from singers like Russ Columbo, he had already been in some Hollywood musicals by the time he made his first hit record in 1938, "Now It Can Be Told" (with the Ray Noble Orchestra). Drafted into the Navy during World War II, rumors that he'd bribed his way into an officer's commission made work tougher to find after his discharge from the forces. A brief but fairly successful stint on Mercury in 194647 helped get things going again, after which he moved to RCA and enjoyed many pop hits over the next decade. He also got a lot of work in radio and television, and performed with considerable success on the cabaret circuit with his wife, danceractress Cyd Charisse.

- Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide