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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 226-250 of 251 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca L 11227 10/28/1958 There's a boat dat's leavin' soon for New York Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11228 10/28/1958 Crazy Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11270 12/8/1958 I loves you Porgy Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Carmen McRae vocalist  
Decca L 11271 12/8/1958 Buenas noches, mi amor Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Carmen McRae vocalist  
Decca L 11274 12/11/1958 How are things in Glocca Morra? Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11275 12/11/1958 Let's face the music and dance Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11276 12/11/1958 Time after time Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11277 12/11/1958 Crazy Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11278 12/11/1958 When you love someone Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11987 3/15/1960 Soliloquy Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11988 3/15/1960 Where is the life that late I led? Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11989 3/15/1960 You got trouble Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11990 3/15/1960 Gesticulate Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 15069 12/16/1969 Overture Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15070 1/16/1969 My personal property (Shirley MacLaine) Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15071 1/16/1969 Big spender Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15072 1/16/1969 The Pompeii club Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15073 1/16/1969 If my friends could see me now Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15074 1/16/1969 There's gonna be something Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15075 01/016/1969 It's a nice face Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15076 1/16/1969 Rhythm of life (Sammy Davis Jr.) Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15077 1/16/1969 Sweet charity Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15078 1/16/1969 I'm a brass band Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15079 1/16/1969 I love to cry at weddings Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
Decca L 15080 1/16/1969 Where am I going? (Shirley MacLaine) Sammy Davis, Jr. ; Shirley MacLaine vocalist  
(Results 226-250 of 251 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Davis, Sammy, Jr.," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/311145.

Davis, Sammy, Jr.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/311145.

"Davis, Sammy, Jr.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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