Early life
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. was born in New York City, New York to Elvera Sanchez (1905-2000)[1], a Puerto Rican tap dancer, and Sammy Davis, Sr. (1900-1988), 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. During his lifetime Sammy Davis, Jr. stated that his mother was Puerto Rican and born in San Juan.[2] As a child he learned how to dance from his father and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a young child 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, for instance. When Davis served in the United States Army during World War II however, he was 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."
Career
While in the service, however, he joined an integrated entertainment Special Services unit, and found that the spotlight removed some of the prejudice. "My talent was the weapon, the power, the way for me to fight. It was the one way I might hope to affect a man's thinking," he said.[3]
Sammy Davis, Jr. (left) with Roy Wilkins (right) at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.
After he was discharged, Davis rejoined the dance act which played at a wide variety of spots around Portland Oregon, and began to achieve success on his own as he was singled out for praise by critics. The next year, he released his second album. The next move in his growing career was to appear in the Broadway show Mr. Wonderful in 1956.
In 1959, he became a member of the Rat Pack, which was led by his old friend Frank Sinatra, and included such fellow performers as Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Shirley MacLaine. Initially, Sinatra called the gathering of fast-living friends "the Clan," but Sam voiced his opposition, saying that it invoked thoughts about the Ku Klux Klan. Sinatra renamed the group "the Summit"...but nevertheless, the media kept on calling it the Rat Pack all along.
Davis was a headliner at The Frontier Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada for many years, yet was required to accept accommodations in a rooming house on the west side of the city, rather than reside with his peers in the hotels, as were all black performers in the 1950s. For example, no stage dressing rooms were provided for black performers, so they were required to wait outside by the swimming pool between acts. [4]
During his early years in Las Vegas, he and other African-American artists like Nat King Cole and Count Basie could entertain on the stage, but often could not reside at the hotels at which they performed, and most definitely could not gamble in the casinos or go to the hotel restaurants and bars. After he achieved superstar success, Davis refused to work at venues which would practice racial segregation. His demands eventually led to the integration of Miami Beach nightclubs and Las Vegas casinos. Davis was particularly proud of this accomplishment. [5]
Although James Brown would claim the title of "Hardest Working Man in Show Business," the argument could be made that Sammy Davis, Jr. deserved it more. For example, in 1964 he was starring in Golden Boy at night and shooting his own New York-based afternoon talk show during the day. When he could get a day off from the theater, he would either be in the studio recording new songs, or else performing live, often at charity benefits as far away as Miami, Chicago and Las Vegas, or doing television variety specials in Los Angeles. Even at the time, Sam knew he was cheating his family of his company, but he couldn't help himself; as he later said, he was incapable of standing still.
Although still a huge draw in Las Vegas, Davis' musical career had sputtered out by the latter years of the 1960s, although he had a #11 hit (#1 on the Easy Listening singles chart) with "I've Gotta Be Me" in 1969. An attempt to update his sound and reconnect with younger people resulted in some embarrassing "hip" musical efforts with the Motown record label.[6] But then, even as his career seemed at its nadir, Sammy had an unexpected worldwide smash hit with "Candy Man". Although he didn't particularly care for the song and was chagrined that he was now best known for it, Davis made the most of his new opportunity and revitalized his career. Although he enjoyed no more Top 40 hits, he did enjoy some extra popularity with his performance of the theme song from the T.V. series Baretta (1975-1978) which was not released as a single but was given extensive radio play and he remained a successful live act beyond Vegas for the remainder of his career. He would still occasionally land television and film parts, including high profile visits to the All in the Family series playing himself. In the 1970s, he also appeared in a series of memorable commercials in Japan for Suntory whiskey.
On December 11, 1967, NBC broadcast a musical-variety special entitled Movin' With Nancy. In addition to the Emmy Award-winning musical performances, the show is famous for Nancy Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. greeting each other with a kiss, one of the first black-white kisses in U.S. television history.[7]
In Japan, Davis appeared in television commercials for coffee, and in the U.S. he joined Sinatra and Martin in a radio commercial for a Chicago car dealership.
Davis was one of the first male celebrities to admit to watching television soap operas, particularly the shows produced by the American Broadcasting Company. This admission led to him making a cameo appearance on General Hospital and playing the recurring character Chip Warren on One Life to Live for which he received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1980. He was also a game show fan, making a cameo on the ABC version of Family Feud in 1979, and hosting a question with Richard Dawson watching from the sidelines. He appeared on Tattletales with third wife Altovise Davis in the 1970s. He also made a cameo during an episode of the NBC version of Card Sharks in 1981.
Davis was an avid photographer who enjoyed shooting family and acquaintances. His body of work was detailed in a 2007 book by Burt Boyar. "Jerry [Lewis] gave me my first important camera, my first 35 millimeter, during the Ciro's period, early '50s," Boyar quotes Davis. "And he hooked me." Davis used a medium format camera later on to capture images. Again quoting Davis, "Nobody interrupts a man taking a picture to ask... 'What's that nigger doin' here?' ". His catalogue of photos include rare shots of his father dancing onstage as part of the Will Mastin Trio. Also, intimate snapshots of close friends: Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, James Dean, Nat "King" Cole and Marilyn Monroe. His political affiliations also were represented in his images of: Robert Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. His most revealing work comes in photographs of wife May Britt and their three children, Tracey, Jeff and Mark.
(Credit Wikipidia.org)
BECAUSE OF YOU
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because of you my romance had its start
Because of you the sun will shine
The moon and stars will say you're mine
Forever and never to part
I only live for your love and your kiss
And it's really paradise to be near you like this
And I can smile
Because of you
I only live for your love and your kiss
And it's really paradise to be near you like this
Well, because of you my life is now worthwhile
And I can smile
Because of you
You know actors have always wanted to be singers
And singers have always wanted to be actors
I think we have the answer here
Because of you there's a song, there's a song in my heart
Because of you, you dirty rat my romance, my romance had it's start
Yes, it did
Ah gee whiz, because of you the sun will shine
And the moon and the stars and the house and the car will be mine
Forever and never ever to part
Judy, Judy, Judy, I only live for your love and your gears
Do you understand that and it's absolutely positively paradise to be with you like this
'Cause I dig you the most, yes I do
You're nothing but a little doll that's what you are
Well, because of you my life is not worth wile
Yeah, I can smile just because of you
Now, I want you mugs to listen to me, understand
Baby, I only live for your love and your understand and your kiss
No body, but no body can tell you what to do
Well, I'm gonna tell you because I'm little Caesar
And besides that, it's absolutely positively paradise to be with you like this
This is me, because of you my life is now worth while and I can smile
Smile?
Smile?
Ah, gee whiz, you guys don't have to get so excited
After all I'm only trying to sing and
You don't have to get excited either, Jer
Now just take it easy and kind of relax your-
Neverminded any words from you Jolly, you think you're the orange juice stand
I'll do the singing, alright fellas, from the top
I can smile, just because of you
I like it
The song "Because of You" by Sammy Davis Jr. is a heartfelt love song that expresses how meaningful the person he's singing to is to him. The first two lines illustrate the impact this person has on his life – they bring joy to his heart and sparked the beginning of a romance. The next lines convey the extent to which his love for this person has taken over his life. He lives for their love, their kiss, and nothing else even comes close to making him feel as whole as they do. The chorus repeats this sentiment, further emphasizing how important this person is to him.
The last verse of the song seems to deviate from the original love song theme to a more comical interlude, as Sammy Davis Jr. muses on how both actors and singers have aspirations in each other's fields. He finishes by returning to his love song lyrics, with a passionate declaration of his devotion to his special person. The song overall might seem simple, but it expresses a powerful love where nothing else matters except the object of affection.
Line by Line Meaning
Because of you there's a song in my heart
Your presence has brought happiness and joy to my life, filling it with a song that rings within my heart.
Because of you my romance had its start
You were the beginning, the origin of my love story, and because of you, it began.
Because of you the sun will shine
Simply being in your presence brings light to my life, brightening even the darkest of days.
The moon and stars will say you're mine
The entire universe seems to align when we're together. Even the stars seem to flock around us and celebrate our love.
Forever and never to part
I never want to leave your side. Our love will last an eternity, never to part.
I only live for your love and your kiss
My entire world revolves around you. Your love and affection intoxicate me more than anything.
And it's really paradise to be near you like this
Being near you feels like paradise. It's a place that makes everything seem beautiful and serene.
Well, because of you my life is now worthwhile
You have given my life meaning and purpose. I feel fulfilled and content simply because of you.
And I can smile
You bring so much joy to my life that I can't help but smile when I think of you.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Arthur Hammerstein, Dudley Wilkinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@XxXxTwofirstnames69420xXxXx
That was the greatest Jerry Lewis impression I've ever seen!
@Katiedid93
He was really the only one who ever could nail it. Mostly because they were close and he was an excellent mimic.
@maggidon90
No doubt!
@aristology6912
Heard
@XxXxTwofirstnames69420xXxXx
@@aristology6912 he did his mannerisms, too, you pile of shit. Imbecile. You should be ashamed of yourself. You deserve spit on You filthy bastard. Reevaluate your life. Disgusting.
@marvinmuonekejazz
The singularly most talented person who ever lived!! Sammy Davis Jr!!
@torrebrannon8180
Sammy to this very day, has no peer! He is in my estimation, simply stated, the greatest all around entertainer that ever lived. He could sing, dance, act, impersonate, was a great comedian, could work a gun, played multiple instruments including piana, trumpet, drums & vibes, and was a great television host & theatrical, live stage actor, etc! He is the greatest!
@cherylfroude9365
I agree
@mauricedevoul
AMEN!
@carlychoc
Perfectly said