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)
The Birth Of The Blues
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Were searching for a different tune
One that they could croon
As only they can
They only had the rhythm
So they started swaying to and fro
They didn't know just what to use
That is how the blues really began
Singing weird melodies
And they made that the start of the blues
And from a jail came the wail
Of a down-hearted frail
And they played that
As part of the blues
From a whippoorwill
Out on a hill
They took a new note
Pushed it through a horn
'Til it was worn
Into a blue note
And then they nursed it, rehearsed it
And gave out the news
That the Southland gave birth to the blues!
"The Birth of the Blues" is a song that was written by Buddy G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, and Ray Henderson in 1926. The song's theme is about the origins of blues music, and the lyrics describe how blues music emerged. The first verse sets the scene and describes people who were trying to find a different tune than what they were used to. They had only the rhythm, so they started swaying to and fro, without knowing what to use. Then they heard the breeze in the trees, singing weird melodies, and they made that the start of the blues. Later, the song tells us that the blues had come from a wailing sound of a down-hearted frail person in a jail, and a new note from a whippoorwill out on a hill. The blues evolved from this process.
The song is a nostalgic look at the beginning of the blues, and the lyrics contain much symbolism. The first verse establishes the mood and introduces the idea of a search for a new musical form. The second verse builds on this idea, describing how the blues emerged from the wailing sound of a down-hearted frail person in jail, and a new note from a whippoorwill out on a hill. The song suggests that blues music comes from the heart and soul of suffering people, and its beauty lies in its simplicity.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, they say some people long ago
According to legends, some people from long ago were on the lookout for a new style of music
Were searching for a different tune
They were looking for a unique melody that was not prevalent then
One that they could croon
A tune that suited their voices and singing style
As only they can
A style that was unique to them
They only had the rhythm
They had a rhythm, but without a tune or melody
So they started swaying to and fro
They started moving in a motion synchronized with the rhythm
They didn't know just what to use
They did not have an instrument to help them create the tune they were after
That is how the blues really began
This is how the Blues music genre originated
They heard the breeze in the trees
One day they heard the wind blowing through the trees and sensed a peculiar sound
Singing weird melodies
It sounded like an odd, but unique melody
And they made that the start of the blues
They incorporated that melody into their rhythm and dance
And from a jail came the wail
The mournful cry of a jailed prisoner was heard countryside
Of a down-hearted frail
It was the sound made by a dejected and broken-hearted individual
And they played that
They integrated that sound into their music
As part of the blues
And it became an essential element of the Blues genre
From a whippoorwill
They also heard a Whippoorwill's song on a nearby hill
Out on a hill
The bird's tweet sounds came from the surrounding hill
They took a new note
They developed the new and unique sound to create a different note
Pushed it through a horn
They used the horn instrument to produce the sound
Til it was worn
They persisted with the sound until they perfected it
Into a blue note
The sound they created became the fundamental element of Blue music genre
And then they nursed it, rehearsed it
They nurtured it and practiced it continually
And gave out the news
They let the world know about their unique music genre
That the Southland gave birth to the blues!
The Blues genre originated from the Southland part of the US
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: B.g. Desylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@spanishinquisition5032
Oh.... they say some people along ago
Where lookin' for a different tune
One that they could croon
As only they can
They only had the rhythm
So, they started swingin' to and fro
They didn't know just what to use
But this is how the blues
Really began
This is the way the blues began
They... heard... the breeze
Through the trees
Singing weird melodies
And they named that
Just the start of the blues
Then from a jail
There came a wail
From a down-heart frail
And they played that
As a part of the blues
Now from a whippoorwill
Sittin' high on a hill
They took a new note
And they pushed it through a horn
Until it was worn into a blue note
And they nursed it
Yeah, rehearsed it
And then gave out the news
That the South Land
Really gave birth to the blues
From a whippoorwill
High on a hill
They grabbed a new note
And they pushed it through a horn
Until it was worn into a blue note
And then they nursed it
Oh, rehearsed it
And then gave out the news
That the South Land
Gave birth to the blues
Everybody they nursed it
Rehearsed it
And gave out the news
That, that old South Land
Gave birth, birth to the blues
@matthewtino8364
I'm 32 and I LOVE this kind of music! Him, Frank, and Dean were and still are thee greatest in my opinion!
@theking-nz1ut
Sammy was an all round entertainer and he was the Original Greatest showman. We miss you Sammy 💖
@karlhungus5554
High praise coming from The King -- another supreme entertainer!
@itsiqaa788
Timeless Melody brought me here :) this is such a good song
@lisbetsoda4874
Such a big voice from such a small guy. He was fantastic
@damon334
Nobody sings this song the like Sammy, Thank you.
@dionerhodes1308
Ooohhh just phenomenal..!💯👏💖🤩🥰🙏
@Shedgie
How I wish I could’ve been born earlier just to be able to see and hear these artists lovely voices with my own ears and eyes. Man I also wish there were more modern singers like this
@Hugecannonballs
Buble is the closest
@petemag869
@@Hugecannonballs fax