Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. (born December 8, 1925 in Harlem, New York… Read Full Bio ↴Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. (born December 8, 1925 in Harlem, New York; died May 16, 1990 in Beverly Hills, California) was a Grammy Award winning singer, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning actor, dancer, multi-instrumentalist and only black member of Frank Sinatra's The Rat Pack. Davis began his career with his father and uncle in the Will Mastin Trio and he toured nationally with them, only leaving due to military service. He became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's after the 1951 Academy Awards, became a successful recording artist and then made his first film performances later that decade.

Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, to Elvera Sanchez, a dancer, and Sammy Davis, Sr., an African-American entertainer. The couple were both dancers in vaudeville. As an infant, he was raised by his paternal grandmother. When he was three years old, his parents split up. His father, not wanting to lose custody of his son, took him on tour. Sammy Davis Jr. claimed that his mother was Puerto Rican, however the 2003 biography In Black and White alleges that he made this claim due to the political sensitivities of the 1960s (during the Cuban Missile Crisis), and that his mother was born in New York of Cuban descent rather than in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As a child he learned how to dance from his father, Sammy Davis, Sr., and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a young child in 1928 and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his long career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing.

Mastin and his father had shielded him from racism. Snubs were explained as jealousy. But during World War II, Davis served in the United States Army, where he was first confronted by strong racial prejudice. As he said later, "Overnight the world looked different. It wasn't one color anymore. I could see the protection I'd gotten all my life from my father and Will. I appreciated their loving hope that I'd never need to know about prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was as if I'd walked through a swinging door for eighteen years, a door which they had always secretly held open.

Deep Purple
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics

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Woo,
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo,
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo,
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo
When the deep purple falls
Over sleepy garden walls
And the stars begin to twinkle in the night
In the mist of a memory

You wander all back to me
Breathing my name with a sigh

In the still of the night
Once again I hold you tight
Tho' you're gone your love lives on when light beams
And as long as my heart will beat
Sweet lover, we'll always meet
Here in my deep purple dreams

When the deep purple falls
Over sleepy garden walls
And the stars begin to twinkle
In the night
In the mist of a memory
You wander all back to me
Breathing my name with a sigh

In the still of the night
Once again I hold you tight
Tho' you're gone your love lives on when moonlight beams
And as long as my heart will beat
Sweet lover, we'll always meet
Here in my deep purple dreams
And as long as my heart will beat
Sweet lover, we'll always meet

Here in my deep purple dreams
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo,
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo,
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo

Overall Meaning

Sammy Davis Jr.’s song “Deep Purple” is a romantic ballad that speaks about memories, love and dreams. The deep purple color symbolizes a period of peace, sleep and dreaming. The song begins with the description of the stars twinkling in the sky and the deep purple color spreading over the garden walls, creating a magical atmosphere. The lyrics go on to describe how the singer’s memories of a lost love come back to him in the mist of a memory, and he recalls his lover’s sighs and the way she breathed his name.

As the song progresses, he expresses his love for his lost partner, saying that even though she is gone, her love will live on forever. He dreams of holding her tight as the moonlight beams and sweetly sings that they will always meet in his deep purple dreams. With his powerful voice and emotive rendition, Sammy Davis Jr. skillfully brings out the pain and longing of the lyrics, making listeners feel the depth of the emotions conveyed by the song.

Line by Line Meaning

When the deep purple falls
When the night sky turns deep purple and darkness sets in

Over sleepy garden walls
Darkness descends over the quiet gardens

And the stars begin to twinkle in the night
Stars start to shine in the darkness of the night sky

In the mist of a memory
A vague memory surfacing in the mind

You wander all back to me
Memories of you come flooding back

Breathing my name with a sigh
Recalling my name with a deep breath and a sigh

In the still of the night
When everything is quiet and calm, late at night

Once again I hold you tight
Longing to hold you close once more

Tho' you're gone your love lives on when light beams
Even though you're not here, your love continues to shine like beams of light

And as long as my heart will beat
As long as I am alive

Sweet lover, we'll always meet
We will meet again in my thoughts and dreams