THE MAN
Sammy Davis, Jr. is considered by many to have been the world’s greatest entertainer.
In addition to Sammy’s unmistakable voice and talents as a dancer, he was also a Broadway headliner, a television and film actor, a comic and impressionist, a multi-instrumentalist and a bestselling author.
Sammy was born in 1925, the son of two vaudeville performers. From age 3, he joined his his father, Sammy Davis, Sr. and the man he lovingly called his uncle, Will Mastin, performing across the United States in a dance act known as The Will Mastin Trio.
The Will Mastin Trio
Sammy was a civil rights pioneer. Not only did he break race barriers in nightclubs, on Broadway and on television, but he also became one of the movement’s greatest financial instruments. He performed at an endless number of benefits, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King in Alabama and Mississippi, and generated a huge amount of money for the cause. Sammy was a mentor to many up-and-coming performers throughout his career, including Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.
Davis was an exemplary performer, adored by audiences globally. Across his 60-year career in show business, Sammy was one of the most recognizable men in the world – and he still has that legacy today.
He recorded over 50 albums (and had a Billboard #1 hit, “The Candy Man”, in 1972), headlined three shows on Broadway (Mr. Wonderful, Golden Boy and Stop The World), and was a core member of the famed ‘Rat Pack’ alongside Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
“Sammy did a lot of things for Dr. King and for our movement. His commitment was never really fully recognized historically.”
— Harry Belafonte
Sammy was married to Swedish actress May Britt from 1960 to 1968. They had a daughter Tracey, and adopted two sons, Mark and Jeff.
Sammy married his love, the phenomenal dancer Altovise Gore, in 1970 and the two were together until Sammy’s death in 1990. They adopted a son, Manny, who is today the Administrator of the Sammy Davis, Jr. Estate.
Sammy Davis, Jr. and Altovise Gore.
Manny Davis, son of Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr, with May Britt, Tracy and Mark
THE ENTERTAINER
Sammy Davis, Jr. was a jack-of-all-trades when it came to performing – there was almost nothing he couldn’t do. He was a Grammy, Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe nominee, and in 1987 was an Honoree at the Kennedy Centre Honors.
He was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. ‘Born in a trunk’, as the saying goes, Sammy had been brought up in show business as a ‘flash’ tap dancer. But while he traveled across America as part of the Will Mastin Trio dance act in the 1940s, Sammy cultivated a wide range of other skills.
He found he could mimic the singing styles of famous singers of the day, such as his idol, Frank Sinatra. Frank later mentored Sammy, helping guide him into finding his own unique voice. He was a self-taught musician (playing the drums, vibraphone, trumpet, and more).
Through the 1950s, he further honed his skills as an impressionist, a comic, and even as a fast-draw gun exponent! This dizzying array of talents soon made Sammy the most captivating nightclub act in show business.
Broadway and Hollywood took notice: Sammy headlined the musicals Mr. Wonderful in 1956 and Golden Boy in 1964, and had major roles in the feature films Anna Lucasta, Porgy and Bess and Sweet Charity.
Similarly, Sammy was one of the most in-demand television performers – making hundreds of guest appearances on variety shows, talk shows, sitcoms, and dramas.
“Sammy Davis, Jr was the Michael Jordan of entertainment. I’ve never see anyone with as much talent as he possessed.”
— Jerry Butler
Sammy hosted his own hour-long weekly prime-time network variety show, The Sammy Davis, Jr. Show in 1966 (a milestone for people of color which was incredibly rare at the time). He later hosted his own syndicated talk show, Sammy & Company, from 1975-77.
Sammy continued to perform live for his entire career, and he regularly broke box office records at nightclubs, concert halls, and casinos across the world, developing a fervent fan base in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Australia.
With over 50 albums and 18 Billboard Top 100 charting singles in his repertoire, his live act focussed primarily on his singing. Sammy’s last hurrah was a smash-hit worldwide tour with Frank Sinatra and Liza Minelli in 1988-89.
THE ICON
Sammy Davis, Jr. occupied a special place in American popular culture for over 30 years.
Sammy constantly adapted to the changing styles of the times, and intentionally cultivated a persona as a larger-than-life megastar.
Sammy was known for his lavish lifestyle and unmatched generosity to family, friends, associates, and the many charitable causes he supported.
One of Sammy’s enduring legacies will be as a member of the ‘Rat Pack’, the name given to Frank Sinatra’s close circle of friends at the beginning of the 1960s – an ensemble which included Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.
In 1960, the group starred in the movie Ocean’s 11. During filming, the group performed a nightclub act concurrently at the Sands Hotel each evening, in an extravaganza they referred to as ‘The Summit’, and which occupies a special place in entertainment folklore.
In September 1965, Sammy released his autobiography “Yes I Can” (co-written with Burt and Jane Boyar), which quickly became a critical and commercial success – widely acclaimed for its engrossing tale of life as a black performer during segregation, and for a level of honesty unusual in celebrity autobiographies of the time. The book was shortlisted for the 1965 Pulitzer Prize, and soon found its way into school curriculums, where in future years it provided many students with their first insight into the black experience in America.
“The Sammy Davis, Jr. style put him in front of the rest and kept him there. He was revered by his peers, celebrated by his fans, adored by his friends, and he loved us all.”
— Tina Sinatra
Sammy struck gold with his Billboard #1 hit “The Candy Man” in 1972, popularized the catchphrase “Here come da judge” in guest appearances on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and guest starred in All In The Family on one of the most famous sitcom episodes in television history. Sammy’s unscripted kiss on the cheek of the bigoted character Archie Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor) resulted in a sustained laugh so long it was severely edited for broadcast.
It was also during the 1970s Sammy started to incorporate the song “Mr. Bojangles” into his act. Davis was reluctant at first, as he had known many vaudevillian performers who had met similar fates to that of the character in the song, and feared that one day that could happen to him.
But something struck a chord with Sammy’s audiences and he soon moved the piece to be his closing number, where it stayed for 15 years; the song became synonymous with Sammy.
Using it to close his final show at Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe on 17th September 1989, “Mr. Bojangles” became the last song he sang on stage.