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)
SHELTER OF YOUR ARMS
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To them I'm just a pebble in the sand, a face without a name.
Nobody gives a hang for what I say or do . .but you;
And in the shelter of your arms I find peace and comfort and care:
For I am wanted there (wanted there)
In this cold world I struggle to survive and sometimes I would fall.
You think someone would lend a helping hand, they'd sooner see me crawl.
And in the shelter of your arms I find strength and safety and then
I rise and start again (start again).
Just give me one good reason to keep in living,
To keep on trying for what,
I ask you for what,
If not for you and all your love to see me through!
When times looked bad,
The shelter of your arms would keep away each fear.
And this cold world can never get me down as long as you are near.
That's why I pray to God you'll never say goodbye;
And i will know the shelter of your arms and your love
Until the day I die (day I die).
These lyrics are about finding comfort and love in someone's arms despite the harsh realities and indifference of the outside world. The singer feels like nobody cares about them or their words and actions, but they find solace in the embrace of their loved one. The contrasting experiences of the cold and unfeeling world and the warmth and care provided by the loved one's embrace provide a powerful image of the importance of human connection and love in our lives. The singer is grateful for their partner and acknowledges that without their love and support, they may struggle to find meaning and purpose in life.
Line by Line Meaning
In this cold world no matter where I go the clouds are all the same.
Everywhere I go, it feels like the world is against me and nothing changes.
To them I'm just a pebble in the sand, a face without a name.
I feel invisible to the rest of the world and my presence goes unnoticed.
Nobody gives a hang for what I say or do . .but you;
No one cares about my thoughts or actions, except for you;
And in the shelter of your arms I find peace and comfort and care:
When I'm in your arms, I feel calm, protected, and loved:
For I am wanted there (wanted there)
I am valued and appreciated in your presence.
In this cold world I struggle to survive and sometimes I would fall.
Life is difficult and I face many challenges that can cause me to stumble.
You think someone would lend a helping hand, they'd sooner see me crawl.
Although I hope for help from others, it seems like they just want to see me fail.
But just when life itself seems more than I can bear you're there
When life becomes overwhelming and unbearable, you're always there for me.
And in the shelter of your arms I find strength and safety and then
Being in your arms gives me the courage and security I need to keep going
I rise and start again (start again).
I pick myself up and try again, with renewed hope and determination.
Just give me one good reason to keep in living,
Sometimes life seems pointless and I need a reason to keep going.
To keep on trying for what,
I wonder what the point of striving and persevering is.
I ask you for what,
I turn to you, looking for guidance and purpose.
If not for you and all your love to see me through!
Without you and your unconditional love, I have no reason to keep pushing forward.
When times looked bad,
During tough times,
The shelter of your arms would keep away each fear.
Being embraced by you takes away all my worries and doubts.
And this cold world can never get me down as long as you are near.
As long as I have you by my side, I am capable of overcoming any obstacle.
That's why I pray to God you'll never say goodbye;
I hope and pray that you'll never leave me, because I need you so much.
And I will know the shelter of your arms and your love
As long as I have you, I feel safe and loved,
Until the day I die (day I die).
And I know that I can continue to count on you until the end of my life.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY SAMUELS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Young
SWEET SAMMY ALWAYS NUMBER 1
Janet Weiss
can't find a song more beautiful than this...I had forgotten about it!
MusicDude86
To think it was written by the same guy who penned They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Ha.
ItsZe Voosky
I think Jerry Samuels deserves a huge applause for this song :D
Wendell Williams
My favorite Sammy Davis jr. song without question. He could do it all!
Edward Lewek
What a great song! What a great performance! One of my all time favs!
Susan Graham
This is definitely the best version of the song that ever heard in my life. After all it was a smash on the charts reaching #3 R&B, #7 easy listening, and #17 pop in 1964. Sammy put so much emotion, passion and power into this song major respect to him for that and thanks for uploading this.
Dantz Music Studio
+Susan Graham You're kindly welcome!
Mark Muffs
I had forgotten about this song for 40 years until I heard it on a radio station up north in 2004. So so awesome.
owlpunky9
The song that got me interested in Sammy Davis Jr. What a talent!