“What have I got? No looks, no money, no education. Just talent.” – Sammy Davis Jr.

Sammy Davis Jr. Biography

Samuel George Davis Junior, who will forever be known as Sammy, was born in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA on 8 December 1925. As his name suggests, he is the son of Sammy Davis Senior, who was also an entertainer and dancer. His mother, Elvera Sanchez, was an Afro-Cuban tap dancer. They split when Sammy Davis Jr. was only three years old and because he didn’t want to lose custody of him, his father took him on tour. The young Sammy learned to dance from his father and his uncle, Will Mastin and during this time as a young boy, his father and his uncle did their best to shield Sammy from prejudice. By all accounts they did a pretty good job as when Sammy joined the United States Army during World War II, the eighteen year old entered a world that looked completely different to the one he was used to as he became a target for racism and hate.

It could certainly have been worse for Sammy though. He served in the Special Services (entertainment) Unit, which was integrated and Sammy found that even prejudiced white men showed a certain amount of respect for, if not him, then for his performances. Sammy said, “My talent was my weapon”. When Sammy was discharged from the army at the end of the war, he re-joined the family act and toured clubs around the city of Portland in Oregon. He also had a recording deal with Capitol Records, for which he sang blues songs, albeit not under his own name.

A performance of the Will Mastin Trio at Ciro’s in March 1951 would change everything. The crowd, which was full of celebrities, were so enthusiastic, that their twenty minute supporting role went on for over an hour and led to them receiving top billing at future performances. Shortly afterwards, Sammy would be singled out due to his dancing and singing talents. He received huge praise by critics and released a number of albums. In 1954, he sang the title track to the movie Six Bridges to Cross for Universal Pictures. This in turn led to a starring role in the 1956 Broadway show Mr. Wonderful.

In the same year that he sang the title to Six Bridges to Cross, Sammy Davis Jr. was involved in an automobile accident that nearly cost him his life. It occurred at the intersection between Cajon Boulevard on Route 66 and Kendall Drive. The bullet shaped horn button on his Cadillac cost him his left eye. His actor friend Jeff Chandler said that he would donate one of his eyes to Sammy if it would prevent him from going blind. As it was, Sammy had to wear an eye patch for six months after he left hospital. He can be seen wearing the patch on the cover of his 1955 album called Starring Sammy Davis Jr. He would subsequently wear a glass eye for the rest of his life.

In 1957 Sammy Davis Jr. was involved with a young actress called Kim Novak. However, due to the taboo that existed at the time around inter-racial relationships, a mobster was hired to put the frighteners on Sammy. The threat also included a requirement for him to be married to a black woman with 48 hours or he would lose his other eye. Sammy hastily married dancer Loray White, but the marriage was never consummated and it was dissolved after only nine months.

Sammy Davis Jr. and May Britt

In 1960 Sammy would court controversy again though, when he married a Swedish born actress called May Britt. She of course, was white and Sammy received hate mail. Even so, the couple went on to have a daughter called Tracey and they also adopted two boys. However, as Sammy was on the road so much, the couple divorced in 1968.

Only three years after this first starring role, Sammy Davis Jr. joined Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford and Frank Sinatra to form The Rat Pack. Led by Sinatra, the group was initially going to be called The Clan,