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)
Not for Me
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But not for me
Church bells are being rung
But not for me
I am without love
But I don't doubt love can be
Warm and tender for some
But not for me
But not for me
Prayers are being said
But not for me
I've never known love
Or been shown love, you see
And maybe there is such a thing
But not for me
So let all of your singers sing
But not for me
And let all of your church bells ring
But not for me
And if tomorrow
All your sorrows should be
Just like mine then you cry
But not for me
No, not me
Never for me
The song "Not For Me" by Sammy Davis Jr. is a melancholic ballad that laments the singer's lack of love in his life. The lyrics describe how the world seems to be filled with love and romantic connections, with ballads being sung, church bells ringing, poems being read and prayers being said, but all of it seems to be happening without him.
The first verse sets the tone for the song, with the singer acknowledging that while ballads are being sung and church bells are ringing, it's not for him, as he is without love. The second verse reinforces this sentiment, with the singer never having known or been shown love. The chorus then highlights the disconnect between the singer and the rest of the world, as he says that maybe there is such a thing as warm and tender love, but not for him.
The final verse ends the song with a poignant message, as the singer acknowledges that if tomorrow all of the world's sorrows were like his own, others would cry, but not for him. This final line encapsulates the sense of loneliness and isolation that the singer feels, with nobody to share in his pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Ballads are being sung
Romantic love songs are being performed
But not for me
However, they don't apply to my current situation
Church bells are being rung
Wedding bells are ringing
But not for me
But I am not getting married anytime soon
I am without love
I am currently single and do not have a romantic companion
But I don't doubt love can be
Despite not experiencing love, I know it is possible
Warm and tender for some
Romantic love can be passionate and embracing for certain individuals
But not for me
However, I am not among those who experience it
Poems are being read
Literature and art expressing love are being consumed
But not for me
But I cannot relate to them personally
Prayers are being said
Plea for divine assistance in finding love or happiness
But not for me
However, I don't seem to receive any a divine or good fortune in finding love
I've never known love
I have never experienced or been in love before
Or been shown love, you see
And nobody has ever demonstrated to me affection or fondness
And maybe there is such a thing
Although love could exist,
But not for me
I am still not a recipient of it
So let all of your singers sing
I don't mind if others celebrate or praise love through music
But not for me
But again, it's not applicable to me
And let all of your church bells ring
Weddings and union can proceed without my involvement
But not for me
Since I am still not involved
And if tomorrow
In case that one day
All your sorrows should be
You encounter problems or issues
Just like mine then you cry
You may become as miserable as I am and feel distraught
But not for me
Though, my personal sadness will persist
No, not me
You may experience sorrow like me, but you will discover something meaningful that's not applicable to me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOBBY DARIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matthew Meaney
I remember this from 1964. Last time I heard it on the radio is when I played in in 1976. I don't know why it was not a bigger record.
Veg4Ev
Sammy the multi-talented entertainer of all time as well as an actor.
Susan Graham
It's true Bobby Darin wrote it and record it first but Sammy Davis Jr KILLED IT with a voice that can't be beat or compare to young singers today.
lesbos1
Well, to be honest, it's a bit of a rip off of Gershwin's "But Not For Me", a kind of 1960's take on it.
Rupert Street
What a great all round production. I bought this when it was originally released and fully expected it to be a worldwide hit, instead it sank like a stone. How come? Thanks.
Brookfield
Magnificent.
Daved Forkel
Sammy 1 of Kind Performer!
realfunny7
I had this album but lost it & many others when the basement flooded - this was the coolest song on that album - I 'm 66 & remember it well - Admiral King HS Lorain,Ohio '67
Veg4Ev
Standing at 5'6" and weighing 120lbs. stood ABOVE the Giants of entertainment!
Laurena La Croix
perfect!