Sammy Davis, Jr.
Recognized throughout much of his career as "the world's greatest living entertainer," Sammy Davis, Jr. was a remarkably popular and versatile performer equally adept at acting, singing, dancing, and impersonations -- in short, a variety artist in the classic tradition. A member of the famed Rat Pack, he was among the very first African-American talents to find favor with audiences on both sides of the color barrier, and remains a perennial icon of cool. Born in Harlem on December 8, 1925, Davis made his stage debut at the age of three performing with Holiday in Dixieland, a Black vaudeville troupe featuring his father and helmed by his de facto uncle, Will Mastin; dubbed "Silent Sam, the Dancing Midget," he proved phenomenally popular with audiences and the act was soon renamed Will Mastin's Gang Featuring Little Sammy. At the age of seven, Davis made his film debut in the legendary musical short Rufus Jones for President, and later received tap-dancing lessons courtesy of the great Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. In 1941, the Mastin Gang opened for Tommy Dorsey at Detroit's Michigan Theater; there Davis first met Dorsey vocalist Frank Sinatra, and it proved the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
In 1943, Davis joined the U.S. Army, where he endured a constant battle with racism; upon his return from duty, the group was renamed the Will Mastin Trio. Three years later they opened for Mickey Rooney, who encouraged Davis to begin including his many impersonations in the Trio's act; where previously they had exclusively performed music, the addition of comedy brought new life to the group, and by the beginning of the next decade, they were headlining venues including New York's Capitol Club and Ciro's in Hollywood. In 1952, at the invitation of Sinatra, they also played the newly integrated Copacabana. In 1954, Davis signed to Decca, topping the charts with his debut LP Starring Sammy Davis, Jr. That same year he lost his left eye in a much-publicized auto accident, but upon returning to the stage in early 1955 he was greeted with even greater enthusiasm than before on the strength of a series of hit singles including "Something's Gotta Give," "Love Me or Leave Me," and "That Old Black Magic." A year later, Davis made his Broadway debut in the musical Mr. Wonderful, starring in the show for over 400 performances and launching a hit with the song "Too Close for Comfort."
In 1958, Davis resumed his film career after a quarter-century layoff with Anna Lucasta, followed a year later by his acclaimed turn in Porgy and Bess. Also in 1959, he became a charter member of the Rat Pack, a loose confederation of Sinatra associates (also including Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop) who began regularly performing together at The Sands casino in Las Vegas. In 1960, they made Ocean's Eleven, the first in a series of hip and highly self-referential Rat Pack films; although Davis' inclusion in the group was perceived in many quarters as an egalitarian move, many Black audiences felt he was simply a token -- the butt of subtly racist jokes -- and declared him a sell-out. His earlier conversion to Judaism had been met with considerable controversy within the African-American community as well; still, nothing compared to the public outcry over his 1960 marriage to Swedish actress May Britt, which even elicited death threats. Still, Davis remained a major star, appearing in the 1962 Rat Pack film Sergeants 3 and scoring a major hit with "What Kind of Fool Am I?" Two years later he returned to Broadway in the long-running Golden Boy, scoring a Tony nomination for his performance.
In 1964, the third Rat Pack film, Robin and the Seven Hoods, was released; two years later, in the wake of the publication of his autobiography Yes I Can, Davis was also among a number of musical luminaries, including Sinatra and Louis Armstrong, who co-starred in the jazz drama A Man Called Adam. In 1968, he and Lawford teamed as Salt and Pepper; the picture was a hit, and a sequel, One More Time, appeared in 1970. In between the two, Davis delivered one of his most memorable screen performances in Bob Fosse's 1969 musical Sweet Charity; he also appeared in a number of television features, including The Pigeon, The Trackers, and Poor Devil. In 1972, Davis topped the pop charts with "The Candy Man," from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. From 1975 to 1977, he hosted his own syndicated variety show, Sammy and Company, and in 1978, he starred in the film Sammy Stops the World. However, in the late '70s and through much of the '80s, Davis' profile diminished, and he was primarily confined to the casino circuit, with a 1988 comeback tour he mounted with Sinatra and Martin that proved largely unsuccessful. His appearance in the 1989 film Tap was much acclaimed, but it was to be his last screen performance. A life-long smoker, Davis died of cancer on May 16, 1990.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
Artistas semelhantes
-
Another Christmas With The Rat Pack! (Remastered)
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr.
Christmas Music - Lançado por RevOla em 22/10/2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All Duets
Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra
Crooners - Lançado por Firefly Entertainment em 05/05/2008
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Where is Love?
Pop - Lançado por Charly | Reprise em 02/02/2005
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Rat Pack - Greatest Hits - Sinatra / Dean / Davis - The Very Best of the Ratpack
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr.
Jazz - Lançado por Goldhawk Recordings em 25/09/2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rat Pack Christmas Party
Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Carmen McRae
Pop - Lançado por Beat Sneackers em 01/11/2020
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Legends Collection
Jazz - Lançado por Bubble Jazz Records em 12/12/2016
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Through The Years
Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra
Pop - Lançado por Vanilla OMP em 03/08/2009
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sammy Davis Jr. - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
World - Lançado por Istjdigital em 13/09/1965
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ultimate Star Collection of Samy Davis Jr.
Pop - Lançado por Dammy Music Publishing em 20/12/2019
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Stars of Jazz
Crooners - Lançado por All Time Records em 20/09/2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)
Rock - Lançado por Applause Records em 06/01/1982
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sings Just For Lovers
Pop - Lançado por Geffen em 01/01/1955
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
How's Your Bird? A Rat Pack Christmas! (Remastered)
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr.
Jazz - Lançado por RevOla em 27/09/2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Unforgettable Sammy Davis Jr.
Pop - Lançado por Nostalgic Melody Music Production em 26/11/2019
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sammy Davis Jr. Selected Hits Vol. 4
Country - Lançado por Charly Records em 12/06/2006
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
At the Cocoanut Grove (Live)
Jazz - Lançado por Digital Revival em 29/03/1963
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sammy Steps Out
Pop - Lançado por Charly | Reprise em 31/12/1970
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Remastered Hits Vol 2 (All Tracks Remastered 2021)
Pop - Lançado por jjjedizionimusicali em 28/05/2021
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Rat Pack - The Very Best Of
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr.
Pop - Lançado por H&H Music Ltd em 03/09/2012
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Simply ... Mister Wonderful! (The 2020 Remasters)
Pop - Lançado por Jube Legends em 01/01/2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo