Andy Jennings - A Drink With Dino

A DRINK WITH DINO - Original Single by Andy Jennings

Available November 6 on Streaming Services

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG

“Admiration, not imitation.”
For Andy Jennings, A Drink with Dino began as an album title.
After spending years immersed in the music of Dean Martin and more recently bringing that music to audiences as a tribute performer, Jennings wanted a title that captured the relaxed, intimate spirit of the project - something that felt less like a formal tribute and more like sitting down for an evening with the music, the memories and the personality that made Dean so unforgettable.
A Drink with Dino immediately felt right. And almost as soon as the title was chosen, it began suggesting something more.
The phrase started generating images, memories and lyrics - Vegas, the Rat Pack, cigarette smoke, a favorite song on the jukebox, a glass raised in tribute and, above all, the effortless charm that made Dean Martin so universally likable.
“Dino's style, charm and likability are so iconic that once I had the title, the song practically wrote itself," says Jennings. "There were so many images and memories connected to Dean that the lyrics just started coming.”
The result is Jennings' first original recording, “A Drink with Dino,” a musical toast to Martin and to the era he represents.
The song also reflects the philosophy behind Jennings' entire tribute project: admiration, not imitation.
Rather than trying to recreate Dean Martin or simply reproduce one of his classic recordings, Jennings wants to honor what made the music special in the first place - the warmth, phrasing, humor, sophistication and easy connection with an audience - while bringing his own voice and personality to the performance.
“I've never wanted this to be about pretending to be Dean," he added." The tribute is in respecting the music, respecting the style and trying to preserve some of the joy that he brought to people.”
That idea ultimately turned an album title into something Jennings had not originally planned to create: an original song that could stand alongside the classic material while still clearly expressing why the project exists.
A Drink with Dino is not an attempt to recreate the past.
It is a toast to it - and an invitation for a new generation to pull up a chair, pour a drink and discover why the music still matters.