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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 101-125 of 251 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 103516 10/15/1957 Deep in a dream Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103517 10/15/1957 Try a little tenderness Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103518 10/15/1957 I get along without you very well Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103519 10/15/1957 Mam'selle Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103520 10/16/1957 This love of mine Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103521 10/16/1957 I've got a crush on you Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103816 12/2/1957 I'm comin' home Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 103817 12/2/1957 Hallelujah I love her so Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 104055 1/15/1958 Bewildered Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 104747 4/10/1958 It might as well rain Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 104748 4/10/1958 I ain't gonna change Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 104749 4/10/1958 Song and dance man Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 104934 5/5/1958 All the way Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 104935 5/5/1958 Rock-a-bye your baby with a Dixie melody Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 104936 5/5/1958 Mountain greenery Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca 105912 10/29/1958 My man's gone now Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Carmen McRae vocalist  
Decca 105913 10/29/1958 Summertime Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Carmen McRae vocalist  
Decca 105937 5/4/1958 Something's gotta give Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Morty Stevens Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 105938 5/4/1958 And this is my beloved Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Morty Stevens Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 105939 5/4/1958 Hey there Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Morty Stevens Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 105940 5/4/1958 My funny Valentine Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Morty Stevens Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 105941 5/4/1958 It's all right with me Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Morty Stevens Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 105942 5/4/1958 But not for me Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Morty Stevens Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 105943 5/4/1958 Ethel, baby Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Morty Stevens Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 105944 5/4/1958 Too close for comfort Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Morty Stevens Orchestra vocalist  
(Results 101-125 of 251 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Davis, Sammy, Jr.," accessed November 25, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/311145.

Davis, Sammy, Jr.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 25, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/311145.

"Davis, Sammy, Jr.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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