I remember seeing Sammy in probably 1953, I was living in San Diego, and one of the first "Talk" Shows I had ever seen was MC'd by Peter Potter, and Sammy was a guest on his show. I'm thinking it was before his wreck. Later on in the 50's I worked in Reno, and Sammy was appearing at the Mapes Hotel. They stayed at a motel on South Virginia, and I remember hearing sirens, Charlie Mapes would have Sammy and his uncles arrived in an escorted limo. In those days, Sammy had to go in a side door, go on stage and do his act, and leave the hotel, no mingling with the crowd. No blacks allowed in casinos in those days. I have seen quite a few "entertainers," I have seen three that were truly "professional," as far as I am concerned. Wayne Newton, Johnny Mathis and Sammy Davis. Those three "worked"at their trade.
Sammy Davis Jr. was a performer all his life, beginning on vaudeville when he was just three years old. As he grew up and grew famous, he wowed us with his multifaceted talent: he could sing, dance, act, and do spot-on impressions – all with ease.
A member of the much-celebrated Rat Pack, Davis was still performing with his friends Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin just a few years before his death from throat cancer on May 16, 1990. Entertaining was in his blood – it's why he was a Kennedy Center honoree, Emmy Award winner, Tony and Golden Globe nominee, and a recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
