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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 201-225 of 251 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca L 10354 7/9/1957 Come runnin' Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10355 7/9/1957 Don't blame me Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10356 7/10/1957 It never entered my mind Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10357 7/10/1957 I've grown accustomed to her face Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10358 7/10/1957 Spring is here Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10800 2/14/1958 Wonder why Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10801 2/14/1958 When I fall in love Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10802 2/14/1958 My heart is so full of you Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10803 2/14/1958 The way you look tonight Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10804 2/14/1958 Look to your heart Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10833 2/25/1958 All the things you are Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10834 2/25/1958 We'll meet again Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10835 2/25/1958 In the still of the night Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10836 2/25/1958 on a slow boat to China Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10837 2/26/1958 Stay as sweet as you are Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10838 2/26/1958 My gypsy heart Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10839 2/26/1958 That old feeling Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 10840 2/26/1958 Night and day Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11196 10/9/1958 Bess, you is my woman Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11197 10/9/1958 Oh Bess, where's my Bess? Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11198 10/9/1958 I got plenty o' nuttin' Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11199 10/9/1958 That's Anna Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11224 10/28/1958 It ain't necessarily so Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11225 10/28/1958 Oh Lawd, I'm on my way Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
Decca L 11226 10/28/1958 A woman is a sometime thing Sammy Davis, Jr. vocalist  
(Results 201-225 of 251 records)

Citation

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

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

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

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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