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)
Mr
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In worn out shoes.
With silver hair, a ragged shirt and baggy pants,
The old soft shoe.
He jumped so high, jumped so high, then he lightly touched down.
I met him in a cell in New Orleans, I was
So down and out.
As he spoke right out.
He talked of life, he talked of life. He laughed, clicked heels instead.
Mister Bojangles
Mister Bojangles
Mister Bojangles,
Dance!
He danced for those at minstrel shows and county fairs
Throughout the South.
He spoke with tears of fifteen years how his dog and he
Traveled about.
His dog up and died, dog up and died, after twentyyears he still grieved.
He said, I dance now at every chance in honky tonks
For drinks and tips.
But most of the time I spend behind these county bars.
He said, I drink a bit.
He shook his head and as he shook his head I heard someone ask, please
Mister Bojangles
Mister Bojangles
Mister Bojangles,
Dance!
The famous song "Mr. Bojangles" by Sammy Davis Jr. tells a bittersweet story about an old man named Bojangles who used to dance for a living. Bojangles is described as wearing worn out shoes, a ragged shirt, baggy pants, and having silver hair. The lyrics suggest that he was a very skilled dancer who could jump high and touch down lightly. The singer, who is referred to as the "I" character, meets Bojangles in a cell in New Orleans, and he is feeling down and out. Bojangles spoke about life and laughed, even as he clicked his heels together instead of dancing.
Bojangles was a dancer who performed at minstrel shows and county fairs across the American South. He shared with the singer that he had traveled with his dog, who had since died. Bojangles grieved the loss of his dog even after twenty years had passed. He danced whenever he could, "in honky tonks for drinks and tips," but often found himself behind bars where he would drink a bit. The song ends with someone asking Bojangles to dance once more.
The lyrics of "Mr. Bojangles" are open to interpretation but are widely believed to be inspired by a real-life dancer named Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Robinson was born in 1878 and was one of the most popular African American performers of his time. Robinson started out in vaudeville and eventually starred in Hollywood films. He was known for his incredible tap dancing skills and was one of the first African American performers to portray a black character on screen. Robinson died in 1949, but his legacy lived on through references to him in popular culture like this song.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew a man, Bojangles, and he danced for you
I met a man named Bojangles who used to dance for you
In worn out shoes.
His shoes were old and tattered
With silver hair, a ragged shirt and baggy pants,
He had grey hair and wore a ripped shirt and loose pants
The old soft shoe.
He performed the tap dance known as the old soft shoe
He jumped so high, jumped so high, then he lightly touched down.
He leaped high and came down with ease
I met him in a cell in New Orleans, I was
I encountered him in a prison cell in New Orleans when I was
So down and out.
feeling depressed and hopeless
He looked at me to be the eyes of age,
He saw me as a reflection of old age
As he spoke right out.
He spoke candidly and openly
He talked of life, he talked of life. He laughed, clicked heels instead.
He discussed life with me, laughed, and performed a dance move known as clicking heels
Mister Bojangles
Addressing him as Mr. Bojangles
Dance!
Encouraging him to dance
He danced for those at minstrel shows and county fairs
He used to perform at minstrel shows and fairs in the southern states
Throughout the South.
All over the southern region of the United States
He spoke with tears of fifteen years how his dog and he
He spoke tearfully about how he and his dog travelled together for 15 years
Traveled about.
Went from place to place
His dog up and died, dog up and died, after twenty years he still grieved.
His dog passed away and even twenty years later, he still mourned its loss
He said, I dance now at every chance in honky tonks
He mentioned that he now dances at every opportunity in nightclubs
For drinks and tips.
In exchange for drinks and gratuities
But most of the time I spend behind these county bars.
However, he spends most of his time in county jails
He said, I drink a bit.
He mentioned that he likes to drink alcohol to a certain extent
He shook his head and as he shook his head I heard someone ask, please
He shook his head, and I overheard someone asking for a favor
Mister Bojangles
Addressing him as Mr. Bojangles
Dance!
Urging him to dance once again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Jeff Walker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheVoyeur121
He's not singing a song, he's telling a story. A priceless performance.
@RonSiwicki
Bingo 😁
@troydorsett8548
@@RonSiwicki huuekkky
@christophepery2237
@Judy Gaines ķlsmkm
@katslat8410
Exactly
@StevenC32
The story is about Bill Robinson who is known as Mr. Bojangles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Robinson
@asacarrick1385
I worked in the Grosvenor House Hotel in London in 1970's In one week he did eight concerts, midnight matinees on the Friday and Saturday. Lionel Blair was the support act. I have never witnessed more powerful performances nor such colossal crowd reaction. Some of the biggest names in showbusiness, Mama Cass, Cat Stevens, Roger Moore Joan Collins ...he brought tears to their eyes through his singing dancing and stories of life...his own. I was a wine butler in the Great Room. None of us who worked that week would ever forget what we'd witnessed
@davidmennie4933
Wow what memories
@talljib
you're one blessed mfer
@cmw332
Thanks for Sharing