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)
Try A Little Tenderness
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Them young girls they do get wearied
Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
But when she gets weary
You try a little tenderness
Oh man that
Un hunh
Just anticipating
The thing that you'll never never possess
No no no
But while she there waiting
Try just a little bit of tenderness
That's all you got to do
Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
But she has her greavs and care
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
Yeah yeah yeah
And it makes it easier to bear
Oh she wont regret it
No no
Them young girls they don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
Yeah yeah yeah
But its all so easy
All you got to do is try
Try a little tenderness
Yeah
Damn that hart (hard?)
All you got to do is know how to love her
You've got to
Hold her
Squeeze her
Never leave her
Now get to her
Got got got to try a little tenderness
Yeah yeah
Lord have mercy now
All you got to do is take my advice
You've got to hold her
Don't squeeze her
Never leave her
You've got to hold her
And never
So you got to try a little tenderness
A little tenderness
A little tenderness
A little tenderness
You've got to
Got to got to
You've gotta hold her
Don't squeeze her
Never leaver her
You got
Got got got to
Now now now
Got got got to
Try a little tenderness
Ye
In the song "Try A Little Tenderness," Sammy Davis Jr. urges men to be considerate and show empathy towards their significant others, particularly young girls who may feel weary wearing the same old clothes or experiencing life's difficulties. The song emphasizes the importance of tenderness and understanding in a relationship, and how small acts of kindness can go a long way in making the other person feel loved and appreciated.
The song was originally written by Otis Redding and performed by him in 1966, but became a hit when it was covered by many other artists, including Davis Jr. in 1967. The song was popularized during the 1980s by director John Hughes, who used it in his movie "Pretty in Pink."
Line by Line Meaning
Oh she may be weary
She might be tired and worn out
Them young girls they do get wearied
Teenage girls get affected by the pressure of fashion and society
Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
They feel the pressure of societal norms to maintain a fashionable image even if it's exhausting
But when she gets weary
But when a girl gets tired and is struggling,
You try a little tenderness
try to offer care and comfort
Oh man that
I understand that
Un hunh
Yes, I hear you
I know shes waiting
I know she's anticipating and excited
Just anticipating
Looking forward to
The thing that you'll never never possess
The thing you can never fully have or attain
No no no
No, you don't understand
But while she there waiting
While she's expecting and eagerly waiting,
Try just a little bit of tenderness
Be kind and gentle, show her patience and care
That's all you got to do
It's simple and doesn't require a lot of effort
Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
It may seem emotional or romantic,
But she has her greavs and care
But she has her own worries and concerns
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
But speaking gently and kindly can help alleviate her worries
Yeah yeah yeah
Yes, it's true
And it makes it easier to bear
It lessens her burden and makes her feel better
Oh she wont regret it
She won't feel any regrets
Them young girls they don't forget it
Young girls remember when they're treated with kindness
Love is their whole happiness
Love is everything they want and care about
But its all so easy
It's not difficult or complicated
All you got to do is try
Just make the effort to do it
Yeah damn that hart
It's challenging to open up and show love,
All you got to do is know how to love her
You just need to understand how to give love
You've got to hold her
Physical contact is important,
Squeeze her
Squeezing her in a warm embrace can offer reassurance and love
Never leave her
Stay by her side no matter what
Now get to her
Go to her side
Got got got to try a little tenderness
You have to put in the effort and be gentle, kind and patient
Lord have mercy now
My goodness!
All you got to do is take my advice
Just listen to my suggestions,
You've got to hold her
Physical contact is important,
Don't squeeze her
Don't apply too much pressure, be gentle
Never leave her
Stay by her side no matter what
You've got to hold her
Physical contact is important,
And never
Never let go
So you got to try a little tenderness
You have to be kind, gentle, understanding and patient
A little tenderness
A small amount of kindness and care can go a long way
A little tenderness
Small acts of love and care can make all the difference
A little tenderness
Being gentle and patient can make someone feel loved and cared for
You've got to
It's necessary to
Got to got to
It's really important to
You've gotta hold her
Physical touch can be comforting,
Don't squeeze her
But be gentle with that touch
Never leaver her
Stay with her,
You got
You have
Got got got to
Absolutely must
Now now now
Right now,
Got got got to
Absolutely must
Try a little tenderness
Exhibit kindness and understanding
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAROLE BAYER SAGER, DAVID W. FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind