George Rhodes
George Arthur Rhodes (October 10, 1918 – December 25, 1985) was an American arranger, conductor, music director, pianist, and composer. He is most known for being Sammy Davis Jr.'s long-time music director, arranger, and conductor. Rhodes made history as a black music director by being the first to work for a major network (at NBC in 1966 for The Sammy Davis Jr. Show) and to work for a Las Vegas showroom (at the Tropicana Hotel in 1973). After being hired as a temporary pianist for Davis in 1955, Rhodes eventually became his principal arranger and conductor, working on his variety act, The Sammy Davis Jr. Show, three of Davis' television specials, two musicals starring Davis, and three albums. |
Birth and Death Data: Born (Indiana (state of the United States of America)), Died December 25, 1985 (Los Angeles (seat of Los Angeles County, and largest city in California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1950 - 1960
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | 1259 | 10-in. | 4/19/1954 | Horse laff | Arnett Cobb | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Atlantic | 1261 | 10-in. | 4/19/1954 | Mr. Pogo | Arnett Cobb | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 3719 | 10-in. | 1950 | Rock around the clock | Hal Singer Orchestra ; Sam Theard | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 3720 | 10-in. | 1950 | Fine as wine | Hal Singer Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 108523 | 1/4/1960 | I gotta right to sing the blues | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 108524 | 1/4/1960 | The lady is a tramp | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 108525 | 1/4/1960 | I got a woman | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 108526 | 1/4/1960 | Do nothin' till you hear from me | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 108527 | 1/6/1960 | Till then | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 108528 | 1/6/1960 | Get on the right track, baby | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 108529 | 1/6/1960 | Face to face | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 108554 | 1/7/1960 | There is no greater love | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 108555 | 1/7/1960 | This little girl of mine | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 108556 | 1/7/1960 | Gee baby, ain't I good to you? | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | 108557 | 1/7/1960 | Mess around | Sammy Davis, Jr. | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Rhodes, George," accessed January 4, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/339924.
Rhodes, George. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/339924.
"Rhodes, George." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 4 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Rhodes, George - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98049957
Wikidata: George Rhodes (musician) - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q49050852
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/27278197
MusicBrainz: George Rhodes - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/eb1cf355-285d-4c1b-bb8e-91e341f3ae96
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/412033 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/412033
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