Meta tags:

Headings (most frequently used words):

and, career, awards, early, life, honors, success, to, other, sammy, davis, jr, contents, political, beliefs, activism, personal, legacy, discography, work, on, screen, stage, see, also, references, further, reading, external, links, military, service, breakthrough, ascent, superstardom, the, rat, pack, mainstream, later, accident, conversion, judaism, relationships, marriages, interests, health, estate, portrayals, grammy, emmy, filmography, television, theater, autobiographies, biographies, final, illness, death,

Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (615), davis (377), and (262), sammy (200), his (135), was (111), with (97), from (87), retrieved (78), for (76), american (74), that (53), show (44), edit (38), may (36), 1990 (35), black (35), had (35), july (34), later (34), new (32), trio (32), archived (32), which (32), film (31), will (30), original (29), award (28), sinatra (28), who (28), mastin (28), him (28), year (28), york (27), after (27), episode (27), first (26), all (25), one (25), male (25), white (25), august (25), musical (24), november (23), television (23), african (23), what (23), february (23), september (22), california (22), vegas (22), 2026 (21), pack (21), march (21), life (21), were (21), years (21), rat (20), 1989 (20), time (20), las (19), jewish (19), john (19), when (19), career (19), became (19), you (18), world (18), music (18), other (18), 2020 (18), 2019 (18), 1972 (18), october (18), actors (17), awards (17), 1966 (17), 1960 (17), two (17), they (17), this (16), frank (16), 2017 (16), 2008 (16), 2003 (16), broadway (16), times (16), isbn (16), song (16), entertainer (16), father (16), not (16), december (15), martin (15), jones (15), 1962 (15), but (15), during (15), 2024 (14), 2018 (14), jackson (14), 1968 (14), king (14), charles (14), man (14), gotta (14), star (14), special (14), los (14), angeles (14), june (14), april (14), eye (13), jazz (13), 1965 (13), little (13), george (13), eddie (13), golden (13), com (13), role (13), actor (13), early (13), people (12), grammy (12), cancer (12), 2015 (12), 2014 (12), 2013 (12), 2009 (12), 1984 (12), 1975 (12), 1958 (12), boyar (12), estate (12), 000 (12), also (12), would (12), kennedy (11), 20th (11), century (11), live (11), marriage (11), 1970 (11), 1964 (11), 1963 (11), 1955 (11), paul (11), burt (11), kind (11), performed (11), variety (11), made (11), comedy (11), accident (11), success (11), about (10), judaism (10), states (10), army (10), pop (10), singers (10), records (10), musicians (10), comedians (10), national (10), 2000 (10), 1973 (10), richard (10), sam (10), fool (10), old (10), blues (10), boy (10), hollywood (10), january (10), altovise (10), only (10), said (10), into (10), perform (10), portrayed (10), their (10), due (10), toggle (9), name (9), articles (9), 2025 (9), united (9), city (9), 2021 (9), 1985 (9), johnson (9), 1961 (9), 1959 (9), 1956 (9), william (9), james (9), brothers (9), hall (9), fame (9), there (9), sings (9), best (9), starring (9), dies (9), top (9), performing (9), dance (9), news (9), death (9), singer (9), dancer (9), history (9), president (9), where (9), performance (9), hotel (9), appearance (9), own (9), interracial (9), wikipedia (8), war (8), beverly (8), throat (8), talk (8), tap (8), stage (8), emmy (8), dean (8), 2012 (8), 2007 (8), 1988 (8), 1987 (8), 1986 (8), 1980 (8), 1977 (8), 1969 (8), 1953 (8), family (8), chicago (8), michael (8), friends (8), wife (8), left (8), died (8), 100 (8), theater (8), night (8), series (8), inducted (8), act (8), won (8), comedian (8), several (8), same (8), included (8), could (8), performances (8), dead (7), links (7), military (7), artists (7), manhattan (7), center (7), jews (7), 1925 (7), discography (7), albums (7), 2023 (7), 2022 (7), harry (7), 2001 (7), 1983 (7), young (7), 1967 (7), just (7), lee (7), nancy (7), run (7), candy (7), she (7), hour (7), way (7), then (7), here (7), britt (7), personal (7), haygood (7), jane (7), jet (7), company (7), around (7), received (7), press (7), vietnam (7), billboard (7), americans (7), nominee (7), honors (7), nominated (7), being (7), following (7), found (7), nixon (7), starred (7), troupe (7), subsection (7), under (6), page (6), signature (6), short (6), end (6), lifetime (6), performers (6), cuban (6), library (6), recordings (6), louis (6), 2016 (6), 2010 (6), robert (6), bill (6), horne (6), 1982 (6), 1971 (6), sullivan (6), 1957 (6), murphy (6), 1954 (6), 1933 (6), naacp (6), bob (6), tony (6), give (6), get (6), wonderful (6), over (6), son (6), barriers (6), sammydavisjr (6), house (6), walk (6), academy (6), anniversary (6), cast (6), home (6), review (6), been (6), since (6), impressions (6), age (6), kid (6), out (6), tour (6), winner (6), before (6), rufus (6), color (6), featuring (6), general (6), hospital (6), performer (6), three (6), like (6), final (6), himself (6), outstanding (6), book (6), born (6), well (6), debut (6), album (6), hit (6), category (5), wayback (5), related (5), reprise (5), hills (5), shows (5), hispanic (5), latino (5), dancers (5), child (5), rights (5), title (5), some (5), peter (5), jim (5), willie (5), sidney (5), 2011 (5), 2005 (5), carter (5), earl (5), williams (5), 1997 (5), hope (5), 1994 (5), 1992 (5), 1991 (5), cosby (5), lena (5), 1978 (5), 1974 (5), roy (5), clark (5), 1951 (5), anderson (5), washington (5), medal (5), salt (5), ray (5), jerry (5), ella (5), benny (5), public (5), charlie (5), david (5), day (5), johnny (5), green (5), nat (5), cole (5), bojangles (5), entertainment (5), long (5), stop (5), sweet (5), porgy (5), bess (5), hits (5), big (5), stars (5), info (5), has (5), daughter (5), 978 (5), why (5), 60th (5), celebration (5), tribute (5), machine (5), west (5), legacy (5), strip (5), her (5), san (5), novak (5), recording (5), www (5), ciro (5), six (5), globe (5), nomination (5), host (5), keep (5), most (5), cannonball (5), more (5), called (5), member (5), work (5), screen (5), main (5), single (5), group (5), recorded (5), titled (5), relationship (5), because (5), actress (5), them (5), patch (5), door (5), office (5), chart (5), contents (4), search (4), view (4), foundation (4), commons (4), wikidata (4), link (4), references (4), external (4), biography (4), english (4), converts (4), personnel (4), deaths (4), south (4), harlem (4), state (4), activists (4), achievement (4), decca (4), forest (4), lawn (4), glendale (4), opera (4), theatre (4), civil (4), popular (4), swingin (4), robin (4), hoods (4), henry (4), brown (4), poitier (4), norman (4), belafonte (4), ruby (4), dee (4), 2006 (4), 2002 (4), 1998 (4), 1996 (4), franklin (4), 1993 (4), powell (4), jesse (4), frederick (4), 1981 (4), parks (4), 1976 (4), wilson (4), price (4), duke (4), robinson (4), 1945 (4), robeson (4), 1944 (4), fire (4), four (4), fitzgerald (4), list (4), arthur (4), miller (4), danny (4), count (4), basie (4), bobby (4), billy (4), band (4), led (4), mel (4), allen (4), elvera (4), ruled (4), got (4), love (4), something (4), birth (4), off (4), closest (4), now (4), lovers (4), suite (4), stoppers (4), studio (4), adopted (4), morris (4), contract (4), photo (4), 374 (4), pdf (4), week (4), youtube (4), sctv (4), went (4), journal (4), become (4), issn (4), tracey (4), daily (4), documentary (4), until (4), movie (4), sun (4), negro (4), farrar (4), straus (4), giroux (4), abc (4), record (4), lost (4), concert (4), archie (4), have (4), critics (4), comeback (4), mezuzah (4), mother (4), alice (4), wonderland (4), place (4), cameo (4), help (4), friend (4), doing (4), dancing (4), voice (4), singing (4), known (4), pilot (4), produced (4), article (4), solo (4), including (4), played (4), signed (4), days (4), began (4), drug (4), according (4), started (4), married (4), spent (4), while (4), still (4), between (4), laws (4), together (4), backlash (4), account (4), did (4), cantor (4), given (4), wore (4), campaign (4), troops (4), event (4), though (4), returned (4), box (4), network (4), hosted (4), number (4), breakthrough (4), opened (4), stay (4), having (4), racial (4), appeared (4), service (4), parents (4), hide (4), move (4), sidebar (4), legal (3), safety (3), additional (3), using (3), wikimedia (3), use (3), last (3), archival (3), french (3), soldiers (3), traditional (3), disabilities (3), boston (3), producers (3), memorial (3), park (3), vaudeville (3), afro (3), soap (3), pianists (3), entertainers (3), open (3), historical (3), israel (3), international (3), christmas (3), sergeants (3), ocean (3), came (3), joey (3), bishop (3), harris (3), quincy (3), frankie (3), freeman (3), tyson (3), ben (3), 2004 (3), baker (3), lewis (3), jordan (3), oprah (3), winfrey (3), 1999 (3), leon (3), dorothy (3), alvin (3), hank (3), gordon (3), clarence (3), leontyne (3), ellington (3), rock (3), houston (3), 1947 (3), 1946 (3), marshall (3), 1941 (3), marian (3), mary (3), anthony (3), hayes (3), spingarn (3), stevie (3), wonder (3), carlos (3), carmen (3), mcrae (3), etta (3), ossie (3), marvin (3), gaye (3), image (3), 1980s (3), complete (3), colbert (3), isaac (3), eugene (3), lynn (3), leonard (3), lionel (3), wayne (3), buddy (3), cohen (3), janis (3), tormé (3), cooke (3), cash (3), waters (3), holiday (3), sands (3), nicholas (3), canada (3), carroll (3), lorenzo (3), sanchez (3), smoke (3), legend (3), needs (3), baby (3), outside (3), close (3), magic (3), hey (3), want (3), charity (3), ultimate (3), collection (3), applause (3), mgm (3), laurindo (3), almeida (3), your (3), salutes (3), swing (3), cbc (3), archives (3), showman (3), broke (3), arts (3), silber (3), books (3), yes (3), can (3), further (3), reading (3), breaking (3), forward (3), richie (3), syndicated (3), club (3), maudlin (3), legalzoom (3), court (3), late (3), million (3), irs (3), against (3), debt (3), loss (3), honor (3), health (3), head (3), neck (3), vol (3), jack (3), gun (3), rich (3), magazine (3), famous (3), loving (3), loray (3), granted (3), divorce (3), loved (3), dated (3), bernardino (3), turns (3), line (3), nice (3), fellow (3), refused (3), let (3), annual (3), children (3), liza (3), minnelli (3), bunker (3), larry (3), canadian (3), parade (3), its (3), dream (3), great (3), encyclopedia (3), autobiography (3), part (3), 109 (3), madeleine (3), samuel (3), institute (3), see (3), are (3), wild (3), seven (3), episodes (3), gang (3), uncredited (3), devil (3), casino (3), scene (3), adam (3), second (3), howard (3), anna (3), lucasta (3), seasoned (3), greetings (3), tunes (3), rhythm (3), result (3), program (3), daytime (3), paid (3), winning (3), starting (3), named (3), bricusse (3), malcolm (3), meadows (3), both (3), forced (3), steve (3), adult (3), told (3), offered (3), than (3), removed (3), released (3), church (3), pictures (3), gore (3), woman (3), inauguration (3), canceled (3), another (3), racially (3), supported (3), adaptation (3), anti (3), never (3), columbia (3), cohn (3), relationships (3), turning (3), celebrity (3), car (3), featured (3), glass (3), instead (3), good (3), allow (3), making (3), invited (3), asked (3), successful (3), topped (3), rendition (3), hot (3), copacabana (3), renamed (3), skin (3), gradually (3), prior (3), artist (3), nightclub (3), paige (3), helped (3), venues (3), handicap (3), tools (3), languages (2), table (2), contact (2), privacy (2), policy (2), terms (2), site (2), agree (2), registered (2), non (2), organization (2), categories (2), template (2), lacking (2), reliable (2), pages (2), person (2), description (2), different (2), blind (2), honorees (2), winners (2), hosts (2), directors (2), descent (2), memoirists (2), fast (2), hbo (2), texas (2), running (2), humphrey (2), bogart (2), lawford (2), hazel (2), patrick (2), jessye (2), muse (2), cicely (2), julian (2), evers (2), carl (2), rowan (2), 1995 (2), percy (2), benjamin (2), tom (2), coleman (2), 1979 (2), alex (2), ailey (2), aaron (2), keith (2), lawrence (2), mitchell (2), edward (2), langston (2), luther (2), 1952 (2), moore (2), hamilton (2), 1949 (2), 1948 (2), randolph (2), wright (2), max (2), 1932 (2), berry (2), harrison (2), 1928 (2), burnett (2), ernest (2), pepa (2), santana (2), battle (2), isley (2), clinton (2), aretha (2), pryor (2), earth (2), wind (2), temptations (2), tops (2), linda (2), hopkins (2), hunter (2), 1970s (2), roger (2), alexander (2), perry (2), como (2), jay (2), stern (2), kaye (2), stewart (2), katherine (2), dunham (2), gene (2), goodman (2), lillian (2), cary (2), grant (2), cagney (2), bernstein (2), simon (2), whitney (2), summer (2), rodgers (2), slick (2), dave (2), hal (2), stone (2), nina (2), jamal (2), ruth (2), bee (2), glenn (2), gould (2), scott (2), diana (2), dolly (2), boys (2), staple (2), morton (2), art (2), van (2), beach (2), woody (2), peterson (2), blue (2), patsy (2), fats (2), rolling (2), armstrong (2), elvis (2), hines (2), dandridge (2), ethel (2), diahann (2), neal (2), butterfly (2), mcqueen (2), lincoln (2), eartha (2), kitt (2), filmmakers (2), shadow (2), leave (2), doo (2), singles (2), our (2), shining (2), verve (2), lonely (2), dolittle (2), plays (2), back (2), songbook (2), feeling (2), ones (2), shelter (2), arms (2), london (2), palladium (2), spectacular (2), belts (2), wham (2), right (2), mood (2), wooed (2), meets (2), girl (2), swings (2), lookin (2), photographic (2), university (2), taking (2), newly (2), jeff (2), steps (2), bbc (2), fbi (2), division (2), media (2), drive (2), classic (2), money (2), madness (2), mob (2), wil (2), random (2), biographies (2), previous (2), material (2), 29355 (2), 52268 (2), autobiographies (2), cite (2), business (2), bonaventura (2), guide (2), programs (2), tribune (2), henson (2), many (2), greatest (2), lights (2), comes (2), flint (2), leading (2), release (2), doi (2), 121 (2), bout (2), once (2), does (2), mike (2), inside (2), secret (2), satanic (2), within (2), leaves (2), clint (2), eastwood (2), ebony (2), aging (2), cocaine (2), cool (2), less (2), era (2), associated (2), author (2), virginia (2), newport (2), gallup (2), nichols (2), nichelle (2), via (2), middle (2), felt (2), lanzendorfer (2), joy (2), smithsonian (2), near (2), triumph (2), religion (2), story (2), akron (2), owner (2), save (2), presidential (2), philadelphia (2), treated (2), connor (2), spirit (2), revival (2), highway (2), visit (2), politics (2), cult (2), 5th (2), broadcasting (2), corporation (2), happened (2), better (2), crown (2), changed (2), experience (2), 128 (2), 127 (2), side (2), 108 (2), riffaud (2), ernie (2), oregon (2), portland (2), british (2), 124 (2), voiced (2), casey (2), break (2), telethon (2), phillips (2), benefit (2), return (2), angels (2), stops (2), game (2), hillbillies (2), survival (2), real (2), dick (2), frontier (2), season (2), electric (2), moon (2), fenderbaum (2), unsold (2), poor (2), opening (2), driver (2), sportin (2), low (2), filmography (2), joya (2), supporting (2), front (2), western (2), swinging (2), vocal (2), posthumously (2), shortly (2), nationally (2), recipient (2), don (2), primetime (2), production (2), make (2), based (2), created (2), sharma (2), stand (2), saturday (2), crystal (2), songs (2), newley (2), leslie (2), cheadle (2), boing (2), tim (2), ghost (2), tommy (2), living (2), playing (2), impersonator (2), kidnapped (2), portrayals (2), participated (2), manny (2), 118 (2), 117 (2), 102 (2), months (2), attended (2), ten (2), minutes (2), alongside (2), 112 (2), doctors (2), rather (2), 110 (2), illness (2), ended (2), turned (2), invitation (2), ceremony (2), lavey (2), satan (2), needed (2), enthusiastic (2), recalled (2), action (2), interests (2), remained (2), divorced (2), revealed (2), spouses (2), through (2), hate (2), country (2), miscegenation (2), protect (2), previously (2), wedding (2), attempted (2), route (2), couple (2), involved (2), hurt (2), threatened (2), organized (2), must (2), roselli (2), mobster (2), broken (2), protection (2), mickey (2), kim (2), marriages (2), described (2), catholic (2), disaster (2), point (2), fork (2), standard (2), total (2), wearing (2), nearly (2), automobile (2), friendship (2), luck (2), conversion (2), away (2), latter (2), abuse (2), entertain (2), republican (2), political (2), beliefs (2), activism (2), ceased (2), permanently (2), mid (2), personality (2), reunited (2), again (2), financial (2), usual (2), watched (2), met (2), meeting (2), prisoner (2), theme (2), baretta (2), pledges (2), kiss (2), ballad (2), tried (2), kissing (2), audience (2), biggest (2), motown (2), becoming (2), controversial (2), grew (2), even (2), members (2), look (2), mainly (2), mainstream (2), hired (2), held (2), rave (2), reviews (2), 1950s (2), cavalcade (2), twenty (2), headline (2), owners (2), gig (2), hotels (2), acts (2), wasn (2), took (2), segregation (2), ascent (2), superstardom (2), appearances (2), dropped (2), paris (2), 23rd (2), lifelong (2), capitol (2), fearing (2), find (2), predominantly (2), comedic (2), clubs (2), instruments (2), such (2), acquainted (2), branch (2), abused (2), earned (2), rank (2), private (2), talent (2), fight (2), victory (2), services (2), prejudice (2), stated (2), shortened (2), dorsey (2), dixieland (2), learn (2), puerto (2), rican (2), awarded (2), div (2), upload (2), file (2), changes (2), read (2), log (2), create (2), donate (2), menu (2), add, topic, mobile, cookie, statement, statistics, developers, code, conduct, contacts, disclaimers, text, available, apply, trademark, profit, inc, creative, attribution, sharealike, license, rendered, parsoid, edited, utc, hidden, ibdb, linking, deprecated, repositories, cs1, language, sources, webarchive, infobox, embed, hcards, mdy, dates, written, christianity, tobacco, roulette, esophageal, religious, movements, roman, catholicism, charly, democrats, burials, whistlers, laveyan, satanists, impressionists, crooners, atheists, births, https, org, index, php, sammy_davis_jr, oldid, 1377285782, yale, lux, snac, nara, idref, ddb, deutsche, biographie, trove, fid, musicbrainz, cinii, academics, croatia, belgium, poland, sweden, korea, chile, norway, netherlands, spain, czech, republic, italy, japan, bnf, data, france, worldcat, gnd, viaf, isni, authority, control, databases, culture, across, river, rocks, films, kamala, gates, dukes, clyburn, cato, laurencin, gaspard, nathaniel, bond, conyers, carson, oliver, hill, constance, motley, vernon, graves, myrlie, higginbotham, maya, angelou, height, barbara, colin, douglas, wilder, patterson, sutton, hooks, bradley, elijah, mays, rayford, logan, rosa, andrew, haley, damon, riles, jacob, brooke, wilkins, medgar, weaver, kenneth, hughes, nine, daisy, bates, jackie, theodore, lawless, mabel, staupers, 1950, ralph, bunche, channing, heggie, tobias, lavon, thurgood, drew, 1943, hastie, 1942, philip, 1940, 1939, 1938, 1937, walter, francis, 1936, 1935, mcleod, bethune, 1934, yergan, russa, moton, 1931, 1930, hunt, 1929, mordecai, wyatt, chesnutt, 1927, overton, 1926, woodson, weldon, 1924, roland, 1923, carver, 1922, talbert, 1921, gilpin, 1920, bois, 1919, archibald, grimké, 1918, stanley, braithwaite, 1917, burleigh, 1916, 1915, everett, spinderella, wayans, avant, spike, kathleen, butler, dells, jays, esther, rolle, alberta, 2020s, 2010s, 2000s, 1990s, schuman, alexandra, danilova, claudette, stevens, schneider, myrna, loy, burns, alwin, nikolais, nathan, milstein, bette, antony, tudor, yehudi, menuhin, jessica, tandy, hume, cronyn, lucille, ball, sills, loewe, alan, lerner, irene, dunne, merce, cunningham, gian, carlo, menotti, virgil, thomson, elia, kazan, ormandy, kelly, gish, abbott, rudolf, serkin, jerome, robbins, helen, fontanne, agnes, mille, fela, kuti, chaka, khan, cher, valli, roxanne, shante, prince, taj, mahal, clash, tammy, wynette, donna, gladys, knight, sisters, laurie, ann, supremes, nile, rick, rainey, nirvana, mcferrin, bonnie, raitt, talking, heads, selena, marilyn, hampton, grandmaster, flash, furious, five, present, sister, rosetta, tharpe, enemy, prine, iggy, roberta, flack, dionne, warwick, julio, iglesias, donny, hathaway, eckstine, parliament, funkadelic, sabbath, tina, turner, queen, meters, emmylou, neil, diamond, blaine, velvet, underground, sly, simone, jimmie, charley, pride, ahmad, shirley, caesar, dmc, ronstadt, jefferson, airplane, herbie, hancock, celia, cruz, shorter, louvin, flaco, jiménez, guy, pierre, boulez, gees, maud, armando, manzanero, kris, kristofferson, kraftwerk, clifton, chenier, beatles, ravi, shankar, patti, carole, lightnin, haden, gil, heron, ross, memphis, horns, antônio, jobim, glen, campbell, allman, shea, ramones, parton, kingston, juilliard, string, quartet, haynes, julie, andrews, terry, andré, previn, loretta, honeyboy, edwards, darin, paxton, brenda, alabama, autry, scruggs, roach, itzhak, perlman, doris, cab, calloway, bacharach, wills, grateful, doors, ornette, maria, callas, booker, joan, baez, weavers, merle, haggard, cream, bowie, pinetop, perkins, jelly, roll, zeppelin, joplin, blakey, eddy, arnold, doc, watson, artie, shaw, sonny, rollins, jenkins, funk, cliburn, garfunkel, tito, puente, mathis, joni, rosemary, clooney, marley, bennett, nelson, mitch, hooker, guthrie, smokey, otis, redding, orbison, mills, diddley, zappa, oscar, mingus, holly, stéphane, grappelli, judy, garland, everly, bland, georg, solti, brubeck, barbra, streisand, curtis, mayfield, mancini, peggy, cline, rubinstein, evans, waller, pete, seeger, monroe, thelonious, monk, chet, atkins, muddy, jimi, hendrix, coltrane, kitty, wells, lennon, dylan, mccartney, vladimir, horowitz, miles, sarah, vaughan, tatum, bessie, smith, jascha, heifetz, dizzy, gillespie, pablo, casals, fred, astaire, arturo, toscanini, igor, stravinsky, billie, herman, domino, enrico, caruso, acuff, andrés, segovia, stones, parker, chuck, mahalia, presley, irving, berlin, bing, crosby, winfield, leo, floyd, moten, barnett, herb, jeffries, fatha, lonne, elder, iii, mae, mckinney, maidie, bernard, roscoe, browne, melvin, peebles, brock, peters, harold, fayard, lucia, moses, killens, bernie, alfred, chester, eubie, blake, louise, beavers, josephine, joseph

Text of the page (random words):
as much as he had as a dancer and comedian was given a one off recording contract with columbia records where he recorded a rendition of the way you look tonight 28 davis received his first accolade when jazz music magazine metronome named him the most outstanding new personality of 1946 29 in 1949 davis was given a contract with capitol records fearing he wouldn t find success under his own name davis recorded under the pseudonyms shorty muggins and charlie green and his early recordings consisted of blues music the recordings flopped 30 a year later davis attempted to get in the copacabana nightclub to view a performance by sinatra with buddy rich only to be turned away for being black the next night sinatra forced the club s owners to allow a solo davis to walk in on his own 31 career breakthrough edit on march 23 1951 the will mastin trio appeared at the los angeles nightclub ciro s as the opening act for headliner janis paige just prior to the 23rd academy awards the trio were only to perform for twenty minutes but the reaction from the celebrity filled crowd was so enthusiastic especially when davis launched into his impressions that they performed for nearly an hour and paige insisted the order of the show be flipped 3 in august 1951 the trio made their national television debut on the ed sullivan show though sullivan mispronounced the trio s name will marsten trio and only referred to davis as the kid in the middle because of a technical error which forced viewers to watch a black screen as davis did his impressions sullivan invited davis for a second appearance this time by himself davis s celebrity grew following the two sullivan show appearances by then the will mastin trio was renamed from the will mastin trio featuring sammy davis jr to the will mastin trio starring sammy davis jr a year later in february 1952 the trio appeared on the colgate comedy hour then hosted by eddie cantor which proved to be even more successful for davis during his appearances on the show cantor befriended davis and gave him a jewish mezuzah which the performer wore on his neck instead of on the door as was the tradition for good luck 32 by 1953 davis was starting to be singled out for praise by critics 33 that year davis was offered his own television show on abc three for the road with the will mastin trio 34 35 36 the network spent 20 000 filming the pilot which presented african americans as struggling musicians not slapstick comedy or the stereotypical mammy roles of the time the cast included frances davis who was the first black ballerina to perform for the paris opera actresses ruth attaway and jane white and frederick o neal who founded the american negro theater the network could not get a sponsor so the show was dropped 36 ascent to superstardom edit davis and host steve allen rehearsing for the premiere of the steve allen show in 1956 in march 1953 the will mastin trio opened at the copacabana and became the highest paid black act to perform there since bill bojangles robinson the following april they became the first black act to headline a show at the las vegas strip for 5 000 a week 37 in november 1954 eight years after first performing in las vegas davis demanded that the owners of the recently opened new frontier hotel and casino not only book him and the trio for a 7 500 a week headlining gig but also allow the trio to stay in the hotel which was subsequently granted breaking a major racial barrier 37 prior to this owing to jim crow practices in las vegas davis had been required as were all black performers in the 1950s to lodge in a rooming house on the west side of the city instead of in the hotels where his white colleagues were housed no dressing rooms were provided for black performers and they had to wait outside by the swimming pool between acts davis and other black artists could entertain but could not stay at the hotels where they performed gamble in the casinos or dine or drink in the hotel restaurants and bars davis later refused to work at places that practiced racial segregation at one time he and the trio canceled a gig at a hotel in miami beach after they refused to let them stay inside 38 on november 19 of the year davis got involved in an automobile accident that caused the loss of his left eye 39 according to davis later he wasn t wearing his mezuzah at the time having left it accidentally at the door of his hotel suite 39 after doctors prescribed him a glass eye davis retreated in frank sinatra s home and began recuperating having to have rehearsals to determine if he could still perform an eye patch sporting davis made his return to ciro s on january 11 1955 where his performance received thunderous applause and ovations 40 the star studded performance was integral in turning him into a superstar davis later removed the eye patch and performed with his glass eye after he took advice from actor humphrey bogart 41 prior to the accident davis had signed with decca records this time under his own name and released his debut album starring sammy davis jr shortly after his ciro s comeback the album included his first charted hit hey there which had hit the top 20 of the billboard pop charts as well as a song that would be one of davis s signature tunes the birth of the blues it topped the billboard pop albums chart making him the first solo black recording artist to accomplish the milestone davis later found chart success with the singles something s gotta give his first top ten single love me or leave me and that old black magic the latter two making the top twenty around the time of the accident davis had been hired to sing the title song for the universal pictures film six bridges to cross which later came out in 1955 42 43 in 1956 he starred in the broadway musical mr wonderful which was panned by critics but was a commercial success closing after 383 performances 44 in 1958 davis was hired to crown the winner of the miss cavalcade of jazz beauty contest for the famed fourteenth cavalcade of jazz concert produced by leon hefflin sr held at the shrine auditorium on august 3 the other headliners were little willie john sam cooke ernie freeman and bo rhambo the event featured the top four prominent disc jockeys of los angeles 45 46 that same year davis made his dramatic acting debut on television in the general electric theater before landing his first box office role in the film anna lucasta co starring with actress eartha kitt a year later davis won rave reviews for his role as sportin life in the film adaptation of porgy and bess which he co starred with sidney poitier and dorothy dandridge also in 1959 due to american tv refusing to book a special for him due to his skin color the entertainer hosted a special in canada titled sammy s parade on the canadian network cbc 47 it was a breakthrough event for the performer as in the united states in the 1950s corporate sponsors largely controlled the screen black people were not portrayed very well on television if at all according to jason king of the clive davis institute of recorded music 48 that same year davis ceased performing with his father and mastin as they both gradually retired from the stage due to old age davis would still pay his father and mastin well into the mid 1960s the rat pack and mainstream success edit main article rat pack davis performing in 1966 davis s stardom grew even more when he became a member of the rat pack in 1960 led by his friend frank sinatra the other members included dean martin joey bishop and peter lawford a brother in law of john f kennedy initially sinatra called the gathering the clan but davis voiced his opposition saying that it reminded people of the ku klux klan sinatra renamed the group the summit they got the nickname the rat pack after a long night of poker that went on into the early morning saw davis sinatra and martin drunken and disheveled actress angie dickinson approached the group and said you all look like a pack of rats 49 the group around sinatra made several movies together including ocean s 11 1960 sergeants 3 1962 and robin and the 7 hoods 1964 and they performed onstage together in las vegas mainly at the sands hotel and casino in 1961 davis signed with sinatra s reprise records and found renewed chart success a year later with the album what kind of fool am i and other show stoppers which included the leading single what kind of fool am i penned by british composers anthony newley and leslie bricusse the ballad became davis s biggest hit in years peaking at number 17 on the billboard hot 100 and becoming one of davis s show stoppers during his performances what kind of fool am i later won davis his first grammy award nominations for best male pop vocal performance and record of the year at the 5th grammy awards in 1963 50 in 1964 davis successfully headlined solo at the copacabana 51 that year he returned to broadway starring in the musical golden boy despite its then controversial story involving an interracial romance producing the first interracial kissing scene on broadway the musical became a success and won davis a tony award nomination in 1966 davis starred in his first non rat pack film in seven years with a man called adam also in 1966 davis starred in his own variety series the sammy davis jr show which became the first black series to be nationally televised in over a decade since the nat king cole show the show was canceled after a season on air on december 11 1967 nbc broadcast a musical variety special featuring nancy sinatra titled movin with nancy in addition to the emmy award winning musical performances the show is notable for nancy sinatra and davis greeting each other with a kiss one of the first black white kisses on american television 52 in 1968 davis had his most successful single in years when he released the ballad i ve gotta be me which peaked at number 11 on the billboard hot 100 and topped its adult contemporary chart a year later davis co starred in the musical sweet charity after a brief tenure at motown where he tried to update his sound to appeal to the youth 53 he signed with mgm records in 1971 and had an unexpected number one hit with the candy man in 1972 that same year he recorded his rendition of mr bojangles which would become his signature song for the remainder of his career as he closed his shows with the song also in 1972 davis s appearance on all in the family was memorable for davis kissing the cheek of carroll o connor s role of archie bunker which led to uproarious laughter from the audience and produced one of the biggest laughs in tv history 54 55 later career edit davis at home in 1986 on may 27 28 1973 davis hosted with monty hall the first annual 20 hour highway safety foundation telethon guests included muhammad ali paul anka jack barry joyce brothers ray charles dick clark roy clark howard cosell ossie davis ruby dee joe franklin cliff gorman richie havens danny kaye 56 jerry lewis hal linden rich little butterfly mcqueen minnie pearl boots randolph tex ritter phil rizzuto the rockettes nipsey russell sally struthers mel tillis ben vereen and lawrence welk it was a financial disaster the total amount of pledges was 1 2 million actual pledges received were 525 000 57 starting in 1975 davis starred in his own talk show sammy and company which lasted three years in 1976 davis performed the popular theme song for the baretta television series baretta s theme keep your eye on the sparrow two years later he returned to broadway for the one man musical stop the world i want to get off 58 in 1980 davis made a cameo appearance on general hospital and had a recurring role as chip warren on one life to live for which he received a 1980 daytime emmy award nomination a fan of daytime television davis also watched the australian cult soap opera prisoner cell block h and in 1986 he famously visited the network 10 studios in melbourne davis watched several scenes being filmed and met with cast and crew he described the experience as not knowing who was more starstruck him for meeting the cast of prisoner or the cast for meeting davis in 1981 davis reunited with his fellow rat pack member dean martin in the film cannonball run which was a financial success and was followed by cannonball run ii which included a cameo appearance by frank sinatra two years later davis s final album the country influenced closest of friends 1982 was a departure from his usual musical style 59 by the mid to late 1980s davis s presence had dwindled from his heyday but he remained a famous personality appearing in talk shows and game shows in 1987 he started to make a comeback after he reunited again with sinatra and martin in what was to be the comeback of the original rat pack titled the together again tour though when martin and sinatra had a falling out in 1988 liza minnelli replaced martin and the tour was redubbed the ultimate event 60 61 in 1989 davis returned to film in what would be his last box office role with gregory hines in the film tap where he played an aging hoofer who owned a dance studio davis s role was praised by critics 62 that same year davis portrayed a hospital patient in an episode of the cosby show which later won him an emmy award nomination during performances of the final event in the late summer of 1989 davis was diagnosed with throat cancer due to the treatments he received davis ceased performing permanently 63 64 political beliefs and activism edit davis during the 1963 march on washington davis was a registered democrat and supported john f kennedy s 1960 election campaign as well as robert f kennedy s 1968 campaign 65 kennedy asked him not to attend his inauguration since the sight of an interracial couple would offend many southerners 66 he went on to become a close friend of president richard nixon a republican and publicly endorsed him at the 1972 republican national convention 65 67 davis also made a uso tour to south vietnam at nixon s request in february 1972 during the latter stages of the vietnam war davis went to vietnam to observe military drug abuse rehabilitation programs and talk to and entertain the troops he did this as a representative from richard nixon s special action office for drug abuse prevention 68 he performed shows for up to 15 000 troops after one two hour performance he reportedly said i ve never been so tired and felt so good in my life 69 the u s army made a documentary about davis s time in vietnam performing for troops on behalf of nixon s drug treatment program 70 in the yellow oval room of the white house with president richard nixon march 4 1973 nixon invited davis and his wife altovise to sleep in the white house in 1973 the first time african americans were invited to do so the davises spent the night in the lincoln bedroom 71 davis later said he regretted supporting nixon accusing him of making promises on civil rights that he did not keep 66 davis attended the 1972 black exposition in ch...