Sammy Davis, Jr.
Play Radio
Listen to Sammy Davis, Jr. Radio,
featuring artists like Dean Martin, Mel Tormé, Vic Damone, Jack Jones and more…
-
Search on Spotify
Yes, it scrobbles! Learn more
1,630,836 plays (293,063 listeners)
Harlem, New York NY, United States (1928 – 1990)
Samuel George “Sammy” Davis, Jr. (born December 8, 1925 in Harlem, New York; died May 16, 1990 in Beverly Hills, California) was a Grammy Award winning singer, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning actor, dancer, multi-instrumentalist and only black member of Frank Sinatra’s The Rat Pack. Davis began his career with his father and uncle in the Will Mastin Trio and he toured nationally with them, only leaving due to military service. He became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro’s after the 1951 Academy Awards, became a successful recording artist and then made his first film performances later that decade.
Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, to Elvera Sanchez, a dancer, and Sammy Davis, Sr., 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. Sammy Davis Jr. claimed that his mother was Puerto Rican, however the 2003 biography In Black and White alleges that he made this claim due to the political sensitivities of the 1960s (during the Cuban Missile Crisis), and that his mother was born in New York of Cuban descent rather than in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
As a child he learned how to dance from his father, Sammy Davis, Sr., and his “uncle” Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a young child in 1928 and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his long career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing.
Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, to Elvera Sanchez, a dancer, and Sammy Davis, Sr., 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. Sammy Davis Jr. claimed that his mother was Puerto Rican, however the 2003 biography In Black and White alleges that he made this claim due to the political sensitivities of the 1960s (during the Cuban Missile Crisis), and that his mother was born in New York of Cuban descent rather than in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
As a child he learned how to dance from his father, Sammy Davis, Sr., and his “uncle” Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a young child in 1928 and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his long career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing.
Shouts:
67 shouts
Top Albums
-
Yes I Can: Sammy Davis Jr. . .
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
My Greatest Songs
Sammy Davis, Jr. Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
The Greatest Sammy Davis Jr
Sammy Davis, Jr. Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Lounge Legends: Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr. Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
Shoutbox
-
stuntcat wrote:
YAY Sammy! (better late than never huh :P)
-
gendervariant wrote:
One hell of an entertainer[2]
-
barryvs wrote:
One hell of an entertainer.
-
MusicSerenity wrote:
He once heard someone complaining about discrimination, and he said, "You got it easy. I'm a short, ugly, one-eyed, black Jew. What do you think it's like for me?" the man was hilarious
-
Spazyy wrote:
"Birth of the Blues" and "Five" are absolutely brilliant!
-
beelzebub_7 wrote:
One of the most beautiful voice I've ever heard.
-
NitrousBlond wrote:
Sammy Davis, Jr. was a phenomenal singer. My mother saw him live.
-
borntogeek wrote:
i wonder what sammy song came in at No.20 on Oz Hitztory Blogs Top20 Of Pre-Rock'n'Roll Pop http://theozhiztoryblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/top-20-of-pre-rocknroll-pop-no-20-16.html
-
Blueknight2000 wrote:
One of the Greatest Entertainers... looking forward to viewing his Bio Movie on the big screen! Sammy and the rest of The Rat Pack were awesome!
-
liquiddatura wrote:
You are old, Father William!
-
NuttersaurusRex wrote:
A black Jewish satanist? Fucking metal.
-
Mod7Psyche wrote:
my father likes him. and Japanese old music-fans likes him.(The Ed Sullivan show and Japanese old TV-CM..etc..)
-
the_soul_man wrote:
his version of Mr. Bojangles sounds phenomenal every time
-
airkooled05 wrote:
I grew up listening to his music via my parents . I hear him today and I am in awe . He was an amazing talent .
-
dzoist wrote:
one of the all time great performers no doubt
-
dublinmichael wrote:
grath stuf
-
Yastrzemski wrote:
He takes cheesy lyrics and makes them great.
-
Pullman67 wrote:
"what kind of fool am i" or "i know a place" with buddy rich. sammy you are my unforgettable hero !
-
darthpaula wrote:
If you love beautiful and talented Vivien Leigh, join us! http://www.lastfm.pl/group/Vivien+Leigh ♥
-
Ovreagr wrote:
Sammy was amazing! I wish they had the better version of Mr. Bojangles though!
Videos
-
Play
Sammy Davis Jr. - Rhythm of…
-
Play
Sammy Davis - Keep your eye on…
-
Play
SAMMY DAVIS JR THE CLOSEST OF…
1 shout
-
Play
(Christmas) Sammy Davis Jr.-…
Listening Now
Top Listeners
-
Charlie_bwoi
Top Listener
-
AbsolutmanMI
Top Listener
-
rvxtm
Top Listener
-
patmccamley
Top Listener
Recent Activity
-
perrigrintook, pejagenx, que_sera16 and 23 other people added Sammy Davis, Jr. to their libraries. yesterday evening
-
rancor04 tagged Sammy Davis, Jr. with ‘jazz’. Tuesday morning
-
rancor04, crawcoil, Me1Christy and 25 other people added Sammy Davis, Jr. to their libraries. Tuesday morning
-
OmikronIE tagged Sammy Davis, Jr. with ‘rat pack’. last month
-
OmikronIE, daveydo32, wanderfunk and 10 other people added Sammy Davis, Jr. to their libraries. last month
-
ACarlosSouza tagged Sammy Davis, Jr. with romantic, cool, standards and 10 other tags. last month
-
kimjensen1961, montechristo88, Heliodaphne and 12 other people added Sammy Davis, Jr. to their libraries. last month
-
OscarTBN974 created the Spanish wiki page for The Sammy Davis Jr. Show with Special Guests Stars Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. August 2010
Related Journals
-
Jazz, swing, death metal and stuff!
by NitrousBlond |
20 Nov 2011
-
Favourite christmas and winter songs and albums
by bennyhertlein |
27 Nov 2010
| 4 comments
-
Last.fm milestones
by david5970 |
26 Feb 2010
Groups (38)
-
matt monro
43 members
-
Scrubs
5,291 members
-
Swing
955 members
-
People who appreciate brilliant music in all genres.
954 members
-
Jazz & Swing
891 members
More Information
- Labels
- Other spellings
Email Newsletter
Get exclusive tour, release & promotion updates on Sammy Davis, Jr. from Universal Music.
