MISGUIDED MAGAZINE SPRING 2020

VOL 4
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SAMMIE DAVIS JR.
Samuel George Davis Jr. was an American singer, musician, dancer, actor, vaudevillian, comedian and activist
known for his impressions of actors, musicians and other celebrities. At age three, Davis Jr. began his career
in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which toured nationally.
Davis studied tap dancing under Bill “Bojangles” Robinson but never received a formal education. After serving
in the U.S. Army he became the central figure of the Mastin Trio, not only singing and dancing but also playing
trumpet, drums, piano, and vibraphone; moreover, he was an accomplished mime and comedian.
He encountered virulent racial prejudice early in his career, but he endured to become one of the first African
American stars to achieve wide popularity. As his fame grew, his refusal to appear in any clubs that practiced
racial segregation led to the integration of several venues in Miami Beach and Las Vegas.
Along with his extremely successful nightclub career, Davis was also a popular recording artist, and he was
successful on Broadway.
Davis was a heavy smoker, and in 1989 doctors discovered a tumor in his throat. Although Davis underwent
radiation therapy and the disease appeared to be in remission, but it was later discovered to have returned.
On May 16, 1990, Sammy Davis Jr. passed away at his home in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 64.
Source: britannica.com/biography/Sammy-Davis-Jr
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