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Sammy Davis Jr.

Sammy Davis Jr.

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Sammy Davis Jr. Biography

source: WikiPedia

This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you find the biography content factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.

Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American entertainer. Primarily a dancer and singer, he was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities. Davis started as a child vaudevillian who became known for his performances on Broadway and Las Vegas, Nevada. He went on to become a world famous recording artist, television and film star. Davis was also a member of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack". At the age of three Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father and Will Mastin as the Will Mastin Trio, toured nationally, and after military service, returned to the trio. Davis became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's after the 1951 Academy Awards. With the trio, he became a recording artist. In 1954, he lost his left eye in an automobile accident. His film career began as a child in 1933. In 1960 he appeared in the first Rat Pack film, ''Ocean's 11''. After a starring role on Broadway in 1956's ''Mr Wonderful'', Davis returned to the stage in 1964's ''Golden Boy'', and in 1966 had his own TV variety show, ''The Sammy Davis Jr. Show''. Davis' career slowed in the late sixties, but he had a hit record with "The Candy Man", in 1972, and became a star in Las Vegas earning him the nickname Mister Show Business. As an African American, Davis was the victim of racism throughout his life and was a large financial supporter of civil rights causes. Davis had a complex relationship with the African-American community and attracted criticism after physically embracing Richard M. Nixon in 1972. One day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was. "Handicap?" he asked. "Talk about handicap — I'm a one-eyed Negro Jew." This was to become a signature comment, recounted in his autobiography, and in countless articles. After reuniting with Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1987, Davis toured with them and Liza Minnelli internationally, before he died of throat cancer in 1990. He died in debt to the Internal Revenue Service, and his estate was the subject of legal battles. Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Wikipedia This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you find the biography content factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.
Biography

Links & information come from MusicBrainz. You can add or edit information about Sammy Davis Jr..

Coleção Folha grandes vozes, Volume… Compilation 2013-01-13 itunes amazon
I've Gotta Be Me Album 2008-08-08 itunes amazon
Salutes the Stars of the London… Album 2008-01-13 itunes amazon
The World of Sammy Davis Jr. Compilation 2007-10-08 itunes amazon
Boy Meets Girl Album 2005 itunes amazon
Nat King Cole Songbook Album 2004 itunes amazon
All-Star Spectacular Album 2004 itunes amazon
California Suite Album 2004 itunes amazon
When the Feeling Hits You! Live 2004 itunes amazon
Greatest Hits Compilation 2003-09-01 itunes amazon
With a Song in My Heart Compilation 2003 itunes amazon
20th Century Masters: The Millennium… Compilation 2002-09-17 itunes amazon
The Candy Man Swings Compilation 2002-03-13 itunes amazon
The Essentials Compilation 2002-02-07 itunes amazon
Lounge Legends Compilation 2002 itunes amazon
MusicBrainzLinks & information come from MusicBrainz. You can add or edit information about Sammy Davis Jr. at musicbrainz.org.
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