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Friday May 16th 2008 |
a non-profit education organization | |
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Friday May 16th 2008 |
a non-profit education organization | |
December 8
Though not a jazz singer per se, Davis could play trumpet and vibes and occasionally subbed on drums in the Woody Herman and Lionel Hampton bands. From Harlem, Sammy Davis Jr. was born into show business, to Elvera Sanchez, a chorus girl, and Sam Davis Sr., the lead dancer in a vaudeville revue called Will Mastin's Holiday in Dixieland. Davis began in vaudeville, at the age of 3, in that show. In 1931, he appeared in the Ethel Waters film Rufus Jones For President. In 1932, his uncle's act was renamed the Will Mastin Trio, and Davis, who learned to tap dance from Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, soon became the star of the act. Davis went solo in the early '50s and made his first mark with an album, Starring Sammy Davis Jr., that mimicked other singers. In 1954, Davis lost an eye in a car accident, and his eye patch became a stage signature. His first hit was "Hey There," followed by "Something's Gotta Give," "Love Me Or Leave Me" and "That Old Black Magic." He debuted on Broadway in Mr. Wonderful and played Sportin' Life in the film of Porgy And Bess. In the 1960s, Davis appeared with Sinatra and Martin in the "rat pack" films Oceans Eleven and Robin and The Seven Hoods. Davis sold a million records in 1962 with "What Kind of Fool Am I." In 1988, he made a film with Gregory Hines, named Tap. Davis died in 1990. Davis was one of the first African-American performers to be accepted fully into the American mainstream, and made this acceptance much the subject of his stage persona. Reference: The African American Desk Reference Schomburg Center for research in Black Culture Copyright 1999 The Stonesong Press Inc. and The New York Public Library, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Pub. ISBN 0-471-23924-0 To become a Dancer
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The African American Registry®, The African American Registry® Copyright 2005, 2006
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