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)
My Mother The Car
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We all come back sooner or later
As anything from a pussycat to a man-eating alligator
Well, you may think my story
Is more fiction than it's fact
But believe it or not, my Mother dear
Decided she'd come back, as a car
She's my very own guiding star
She helps me through everything I do
And I'm so glad she's here
Everything my Daddy never was
Well, now she wants me to be
She's taken her place as the fifth member
Of my small family
And she'll blow her radiator
When things ain't going right
And whenever she gets too lonely
We just all got to spend the night, with my car
She's my very own guiding star
I mean a 1928 Porter
That's my Mother, dear
She helps me through everything I do
And I'm so glad she's here
My Mother, the car
My Mother, the car
My Mother, the car
My Mother, the car
(My Mother, the car)
(I was wondering, do you think we can can we chipping in and get a XK150)
The song "My Mother The Car" by Sammy Davis Jr. tells the story of a man whose mother has come back to life as a car. The lyrics suggest that in a second life, anyone can come back as anything from a cat to an alligator, and Davis' mother has chosen to come back as a 1928 Porter car. The car, being Davis' mother, helps him through everything he does and serves as his guiding star.
The song is a fiction piece, but Davis aims to make the listener believe the story was true. In the second verse, Davis reveals that his car mother is everything that his real father was not. She has taken her place as the fifth member of his small family, and he is glad he has her because she helps him through everything he does. In this way, Davis portrays his car mother as a much-loved and indeed essential part of his life.
The song is whimsical and has a lighthearted tone. It adds an element of humor to the idea of reincarnation, presenting an unusual story that stands out from the crowd. Overall, Sammy Davis Jr. creates a funny and light-hearted tune that leaves the listener with a smile on their face.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody knows in a second life
It is commonly believed that living creatures get reborn after death.
We all come back sooner or later
It is inevitable that reincarnation occurs at some point in time.
As anything from a pussycat to a man-eating alligator
The reincarnated form can be anything from a harmless animal to a dangerous one.
Well, you may think my story
I understand that this may sound unlikely to some people.
Is more fiction than it's fact
This may seem fictitious, but it is true.
But believe it or not, my Mother dear
It may be difficult to accept, but my mother has reincarnated in the form of a car.
Decided she'd come back, as a car
My mother's new form is that of a car.
She's my very own guiding star
My mother, in the form of a car, guides me through life.
A 1928 Porter, that's my Mother, dear
The car is a 1928 Porter, which is my mother's new form.
She helps me through everything I do
The car, as my mother, assists me in all my activities.
And I'm so glad she's here
I am happy to have my reincarnated mother with me.
Everything my Daddy never was
The car, as my mother, completes what my father never could.
Well, now she wants me to be
The car, as my mother, wants me to fulfill my potential.
She's taken her place as the fifth member
The car, as my mother, is now a member of our small family.
Of my small family
The car, as my mother, is now part of my immediate family.
And she'll blow her radiator
The car, as my mother, expresses her frustration by overheating.
When things ain't going right
The car, as my mother, reacts negatively when things are not going according to plan.
And whenever she gets too lonely
The car, as my mother, gets lonely and requires company.
We just all got to spend the night, with my car
To keep the car, as my mother, company, we sometimes spend the night with her.
My Mother, the car
The car, as my mother, is an important member of my family.
My Mother, the car
The car, as my mother, is an integral part of my life.
My Mother, the car
The car, as my mother, is a unique and special presence in my life.
My Mother, the car
The car, as my mother, is a powerful force that influences my life.
(I was wondering, do you think we can can we chipping in and get a XK150)
I am curious if we could pool our money to buy a luxury car.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: PAUL HAMPTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tobec6363
That means that Frankie from The Middle is also the little girl in My Mother The Car 😂
montauk6
RIP, Jerry Van Dyke
LookAtNow
where did Lark even find shit like this
Bratbaby P
LOV3