Biography of Sammy Davis, Jr.

When Sammy Davis Jr died in 1990, the entertainment world lost one of its reigning superstars. The versatile Davis hailed from a showbiz family and started young, tap dancing up a storm in the 1933 featurette "Rufus Jones for President." His uncle headed The Will Mastin Trio along with Sammy and his dad, and they were a popular lounge act during the 40s. Davis signed with Decca as a singer in 1954, charting with "Hey There," but an auto accident that year cost him an eye. "Something's Gotta Give" was a major hit for Davis in 1955, but his recording career took a back seat for a time of cavorting with The Rat Pack, an all-star crew of Las Vegas swingers headed by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. They starred en masse in the films Ocean's Eleven (1960) and Robin and the Seven Hoods (1964). Moving to the Reprise label, Davis scored with the dramatic ballads "What Kind of Fool Am I?" in 1962, "The Shelter of Your Arms" in 1963, and "I've Gotta Be Me" in 1968, but his only #1 hit came on a very untypical 1972 effort -- the saccharine "Candy Man," a million-seller on MGM. A superstar of Broadway, film, and recordings, Sammy Davis Jr earned his ranking as one of America's leading entertainers. ~ Bill Dahl

Biography of Sammy Davis, Jr.

When Sammy Davis Jr died in 1990, the entertainment world lost one of its reigning superstars. The versatile Davis hailed from a showbiz family and started young, tap dancing up a storm in the 1933 featurette "Rufus Jones for President." His uncle headed The Will Mastin Trio along with Sammy and his dad, and they were a popular lounge act during the 40s. Davis signed with Decca as a singer in 1954, charting with "Hey There," but an auto accident that year cost him an eye. "Something's Gotta Give" was a major hit for Davis in 1955, but his recording career took a back seat for a time of cavorting with The Rat Pack, an all-star crew of Las Vegas swingers headed by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. They starred en masse in the films Ocean's Eleven (1960) and Robin and the Seven Hoods (1964). Moving to the Reprise label, Davis scored with the dramatic ballads "What Kind of Fool Am I?" in 1962, "The Shelter of Your Arms" in 1963, and "I've Gotta Be Me" in 1968, but his only #1 hit came on a very untypical 1972 effort -- the saccharine "Candy Man," a million-seller on MGM. A superstar of Broadway, film, and recordings, Sammy Davis Jr earned his ranking as one of America's leading entertainers. ~ Bill Dahl