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)
Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a wickeder, wickeder, wickeder witch there never, never was
She filled the folks in Munchkin land with terror and with dread
'Till one fine day from Kansas way a cyclone caught a house
That brought the wicked, wicked witch her doom
As she was flying on her broom
For the house fell on her head and the coroner pronounced her dead
And thru the town the joyous news was spread
Ding-dong, the witch is dead! Which old witch? The wicked witch
Ding-dong, the wicked witch is dead
Wake up, you sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed
Wake up, the wicked witch is dead!
She's gone where the goblins go below, below, below, yo ho
Let's open up and sing, and ring the bells out
Ding-dong! the merry-o sing it high, sing it low
Let them know the wicked witch is dead
Ding-dong, the witch is dead! Which old witch? The wicked witch
Ding-dong, the wicked witch is dead
Wake up, you sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed
Wake up, the wicked witch is dead!
She's gone where the goblins go below, below, below, yo ho
Let's open up and sing, and ring the bells out
Ding-dong! the merry-o sing it high, sing it low
Let them know the wicked witch is dead
The song "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" by Sammy Davis Jr. is based on the theme of victory over evil. The song tells the story of a wicked witch who terrorized the people of Munchkin land in the wonderful world of Oz. The witch was the most wicked of all the witches and had filled the land with terror and dread. The people of Munchkin land had longed for a hero to come and defeat the witch, and one fine day, a cyclone caught a house from Kansas, and that brought the witch her doom. The house fell on her head, and the coroner pronounced her dead. This news brought joy to the town, and the people celebrated the demise of the wicked witch.
The lyrics of the song inspire hope and positivity, urging listeners to wake up from their slumber, rub their eyes, and get out of bed to celebrate the victory. The witch has gone where the goblins go, below, below, below, yo ho. The song encourages people to open up and sing, to ring the bells out, and let everyone know that the wicked witch is dead.
Overall, "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" sends an uplifting message of hope and triumph over evil. It is a reminder that no matter how wicked and powerful the enemy may seem, there is always hope for a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
Once there was a wicked witch in the lovely land of Oz
There used to be an evil witch in the wonderful land of Oz
And a wickeder, wickeder, wickeder witch there never, never was
She was the worst witch ever known, completely evil beyond compare
She filled the folks in Munchkin land with terror and with dread
Her presence caused immense fear in the inhabitants of Munchkin land
'Till one fine day from Kansas way a cyclone caught a house
But one day, a house was carried away by a tornado from Kansas
That brought the wicked, wicked witch her doom
This resulted in the end of the evil witch
As she was flying on her broom
While she was flying through the air on her broomstick
For the house fell on her head and the coroner pronounced her dead
The house landed on her head, which caused the coroner to announce her death
And thru the town the joyous news was spread
The happy news was quickly spread throughout the town
Ding-dong, the witch is dead! Which old witch? The wicked witch
The song announces that the evil witch is finally gone
Wake up, you sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed
This is a call to everyone to wake up and celebrate the end of the witch's reign
She's gone where the goblins go below, below, below, yo ho
The song suggests that the witch has gone to a place where other supernatural creatures reside
Let's open up and sing, and ring the bells out
The song encourages people to open their hearts and celebrate the witch's demise with enthusiastic singing and bell-ringing
Ding-dong! the merry-o sing it high, sing it low
The song repeats the refrain, encouraging people to continue singing and celebrating
Let them know the wicked witch is dead
The song concludes with the announcement that the evil witch is finally gone and people should be pleased about it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: E HARBURG, E.Y. HARBURG, HAROLD ARLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rosssoutherland8118
This is over the top Fabulous! I met Sammy in Hollywood once. Coolest famous person I ever met or probably ever will….
@dilippoco7740
Very nice
@bkrider19
Jay Corre opens his tenor solo quoting from "Surrey With the Fringe On Top." Sneaky.
@rememberourmusic53
Today, December 8, 2016 is the 91st anniversary of the birth of Sammy Davis Jr. If you are interested in more recordings of distinguished African-American musicians, please check out my youtube channel "Remember our Music" a site which daily honors a great African-American musician includingSammy Davis Jr., King Oliver, Jonah Jones, Igatius Sancho born in 1729 and the three Sonnys: Sonny Phillips, Sonny Greer and Sonny Boy Williamson, all born in the month of December.
@cadillacdude1975
Buddy’s band sounded so much better with an upright bass.
@geoffnelson4777
18-19 June 1966, not December.