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Sammy Davis, Jr.

Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director.

At age three, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which toured nationally, and his film career began in 1933. After military service, Davis returned to the trio and became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's (in West Hollywood) after the 1951 Academy Awards. With the trio, he became a recording artist. In 1954, at the age of 29, he lost his left eye in a car accident. Several years later, he converted to Judaism, finding commonalities between the oppression experienced by African-American and Jewish communities.

Davis had a starring role on Broadway in Mr. Wonderful with Chita Rivera (1956). In 1960, he appeared in the Rat Pack film Ocean's 11. He returned to the stage in 1964 in a musical adaptation of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy. Davis was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance. The show featured the first interracial kiss on Broadway. In 1966, he had his own TV variety show, titled The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. While Davis's career slowed in the late 1960s, his biggest hit, "The Candy Man", reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1972, and he became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname "Mister Show Business".

Davis's popularity helped break the race barrier of the segregated entertainment industry. He did, however, have a complex relationship with the black community and drew criticism after publicly supporting President Richard Nixon in 1972. One day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was. "Handicap?" he asked. "Talk about handicap. I'm a one-eyed Negro who's Jewish." This was to become a signature comment, recounted in his autobiography and in many articles.

After reuniting with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1987, Davis toured with them and Liza Minnelli internationally, before his death in 1990. He died in debt to the Internal Revenue Service, and his estate was the subject of legal battles after the death of his wife. Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Birth and Death Data: Born December 8, 1925 (New York City), Died May 16, 1990 (Beverly Hills)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1954 - 1969

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 76-100 of 251 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 101744 2/20/1957 The house I live in Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 101745 2/20/1957 That old black magic Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 101766 2/20/1957 Black and white Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 102543 5/15/1957 Mad ball Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 102544 5/15/1957 I never got out of Paris Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 102545 5/15/1957 No fool like an old fool Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 102546 5/15/1957 I push my heart thru a horn Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 102547 5/15/1957 Fascinating rhythm Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 102548 5/15/1957 Talihi Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103224 9/6/1957 This is the night Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103225 9/6/1957 Cool credo Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103226 9/6/1957 Unspoken Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103227 9/6/1957 I concentrate on you Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103415 10/2/1957 Back in your own back yard Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103416 10/2/1957 [Unknown title(s)] Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103417 10/2/1957 Mister, you've gone and got the blues Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103418 10/2/1957 The blue room Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103419 10/2/1957 I cried for you Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103420 10/2/1957 [Unknown title(s)] Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103510 10/15/1957 What is there to say? Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103511 10/15/1957 Why shouldn't I? Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103512 10/15/1957 Love me Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103513 10/15/1957 For all we know Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103514 10/15/1957 Bewitched Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103515 10/15/1957 I could have told you Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
(Results 76-100 of 251 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Davis, Sammy, Jr.," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/311145.

Davis, Sammy, Jr.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/311145.

"Davis, Sammy, Jr.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/311145

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