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)
Rhythm of Life
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tootin' on his trumpet loud and mean
Suddenly a voice said, "Go forth, Daddy
Spread the picture on a wider screen"
And the voice said, "Brother, there's a million pigeons
Ready to be hooked on new religions
Hit the road, Daddy, leave your common law wife
And the rhythm of life is a powerful beat
Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet
Rhythm in your bedroom, rhythm in the street
Yes, the rhythm of life is a powerful beat
To feel the rhythm of life
To feel the powerful beat
To feel the tingle in your fingers
To feel the tingle in your feet
Daddy spread the gospel in Milwaukee
Took his walkie talkie to Rocky Ridge
Blew his way to Canton then to Scranton
Till he landed under the Manhattan Bridge
Daddy was the new sensation
Got himself a congregation
Built up quite an operation down below
With the pie-eyed piper blowing
While the muscatel was flowing
All the cats were go, go, going down below
Daddy was the new sensation
Got himself a congregation
Built up quite an operation down below
With the pie-eyed piper blowing
While the muscatel was flowing
All the cats were go, go, going down below
Flip your wings and fly to Daddy
Flip your wings and fly to Daddy
Flip your wings and fly to Daddy
Fly, fly, fly to Daddy
Take a dive and swim to Daddy
Take a dive and swim to Daddy
Take a dive and swim to Daddy
Swim, swim, swim to Daddy
Hit the floor and crawl to Daddy
Hit the floor and crawl to Daddy
Hit the floor and crawl to Daddy
Crawl, crawl, crawl to Daddy
And the rhythm of life is a powerful beat
Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet
Rhythm in your bedroom, rhythm in the street
Yes, the rhythm of life is a powerful beat
To feel the rhythm of life
To feel the powerful beat
To feel the tingle in your fingers
To feel the tingle in your feet
To feel the rhythm of life
To feel the powerful beat
To feel the tingle in your fingers
To feel the tingle in your feet
Flip your wings and fly to Daddy
Take a dive and swim to Daddy
Hit the floor and crawl to Daddy
Daddy, we got the rhythm of life
Of life, of life, of life
Yeah, yeah, yeah man
The lyrics to Sammy Davis Jr.'s song "Rhythm of Life" tell the story of Daddy, a musician who receives a spiritual message telling him to spread the "picture" on "a wider screen" and "spread the religion of the rhythm of life." Daddy obeys the voice and embarks on a journey, blowing his trumpet and preaching about the power of rhythm. For Daddy, rhythm is the religion that unites people and offers them a sense of community and purpose. Along the way, he gains followers who become his congregation, gathering together under the Manhattan Bridge to dance and celebrate the "powerful beat" of rhythm.
The song's lyrics are about the power of music and rhythm to bring people together and create a sense of belonging. Through the character of Daddy, we see how music can be a spiritual force capable of transcending social barriers and bringing joy to people's lives. The song is an homage to the power of music to uplift us and connect us to something greater than ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Daddy started out in San Francisco
Daddy began his musical career in San Francisco
Tootin' on his trumpet loud and mean
Playing his trumpet with full force and energy
Suddenly a voice said, 'Go forth, Daddy
Spread the picture on a wider screen'
Daddy heard a voice telling him to spread his music to a bigger audience
And the voice said, 'Brother, there's a million pigeons
Ready to be hooked on new religions
Hit the road, Daddy, leave your common law wife
Spread the religion of the rhythm of life'
The voice suggested that Daddy should spread his music to new listeners and expand his reach, even if it means leaving his personal life behind
And the rhythm of life is a powerful beat
Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet
Rhythm in your bedroom, rhythm in the street
Yes, the rhythm of life is a powerful beat
The rhythm of life is a potent force that can be felt everywhere, giving people a sense of excitement and energy
To feel the rhythm of life
To feel the powerful beat
To feel the tingle in your fingers
To feel the tingle in your feet
To truly experience life's rhythm, you must feel its power and sensation throughout your body
Daddy spread the gospel in Milwaukee
Took his walkie talkie to Rocky Ridge
Blew his way to Canton then to Scranton
Till he landed under the Manhattan Bridge
Daddy traveled and shared his music in various cities and areas until he finally made it to Brooklyn
Daddy was the new sensation
Got himself a congregation
Built up quite an operation down below
With the pie-eyed piper blowing
While the muscatel was flowing
All the cats were go, go, going down below
Daddy became a popular sensation, attracting many followers and building a successful music career with the help of his talented musicians and enthusiastic fans
Flip your wings and fly to Daddy
Take a dive and swim to Daddy
Hit the floor and crawl to Daddy
Daddy, we got the rhythm of life
People eagerly flock and move to Daddy's music, fully immersed in the powerful rhythm of life
Of life, of life, of life
Yeah, yeah, yeah man
Life is full of rhythm and energy, giving people a sense of joy and excitement
Contributed by Joshua B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@terryhastings2465
Not only was Sammy Davis Jr. a great singer and actor, he tap danced, played the trombone, vibraphone and drums! The man had talent beyond talent!
@kazkazzie3906
His talent was just oozing out of him. He was a phenomenal talent. A triple threat 😊
@paulamiles9559
He was the best!
@michael5876
I am currently obsessed with all aspects of this number from choreography to costuming.
@roberttreborable
Not surprised it's totally brilliant...
@bvfreaf
Same.
@armt8543
Literally,, I recently got into the 70’s Jesus Christ superstar- omgggg the costumesssss so 70’s
@jaimetorraco8487
That's the Fosse for ya, baby!
@erinmalone2669
It’s hypnotic
@Fatelink
One of the best musical sequences in film history. Thank you Sammy Davis Jr and Bob Fosse.