The Music of Sammy Davis, Jr.

Sammy’s recording career lasted four decades and he recorded singles and LPs for such notable labels as Capitol, Decca, Verve, Motown, MGM, and 20th Century. He recorded over 50 albums across a myriad of different styles. While he released many albums’ worth of Broadway material, he also recorded jazz, pop, disco and country.

Sammy collaborated on record with jazz legends like Carmen McRae and Count Basie, guitarists like Mundell Lowe and Laurindo Almeida, bandleaders like Sam Butera and Buddy Rich, and arrangers like Quincy Jones and Marty Paich. He had 18 singles place on the ‘Billboard Hot 100 Singles’ chart, and had 13 albums place on the ‘Billboard Top 200 Albums’ chart. In 1972, his smash hit “The Candy Man” went to #1 and charted for 20 weeks.

5 MUST-LISTEN ALBUMS

1. The Sounds of ’66

One of the greatest live Las Vegas albums of all time, recorded over two 3am sessions at The Sands Hotel. Sammy is paired with dynamite drummer Buddy Rich and his big band.

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2. Sammy Davis, Jr. Sings, Laurindo Almeida Plays

Voice with the lone guitar accompaniment of renowned classical and jazz guitarist Laurindo Almeida. Better Records: “One of the most emotionally rich and sublimely enjoyable collections of romantic ballads ever recorded.”

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3. Belts The Best of Broadway

Sammy loved Broadway and he returned time and again to the songs of the Great White Way. This album of showstoppers was the best Broadway collection he recorded for Reprise Records.

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4. It’s All Over But The Swingin’

With 12 sides exploring the losing part of ‘loving and losing’, this album of melancholy jazz standards is Sammy’s best on Decca Records, featuring top-rate arrangements from Morty Stevens and Jack Pleis.

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5. The Wham Of Sam

The A-side displays the full Sammy Davis, Jr. range of talents as a singer, while the B-side features Sammy the ultra-cool West Coast jazz vocalist, backed by the legendary Marty Paich Dek-Tette.

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