Release Date: 31 December 2005
Label: Naxos - Nostalgia / Naxos Nostalgic
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 636943283325
Genres: Jazz
Description
SAMMY DAVIS JR'Hey There' Original 1949-1955 RecordingsSammy Davis Jr went through many differentstages in his amazing career.Starting out as a childhood hoofer, he latermorphed into a slick variety performer, a cleverimpersonator, charter member of 'The Rat Pack'and Broadway superstar, eventually beingcanonized as 'the world's greatest entertainer'before finishing his career on a sad note of selfparody.But one thing remained constant through allof these various manifestations of the Samster'spersonality until nearly the very end: he was adynamite vocalist.At his best, Davis was a songwriter's dream:able to squeeze maximum juice out of anymelody, while still giving the lyric full value andwrapping the whole thing up with his ownunique brand of showmanship that made anynumber seem special.The selections on this album are assembledfrom a six-year period in his career (1949-1955)with most of them actually having beenrecorded in the course of fourteen months(June 1954 to August 1955) which wouldfeature some of the most defining events in hislife - including a near-fatal accident and areligious conversion.There are unmistakable changes in style overthat year that are fascinating to note, but first, it'snecessary to recall where Davis came from.He was born in Harlem on 8 December 1925,the son of a Puerto Rican mother and a blackfather, both of whom were vaudeville dancers.When he was three, his parents divorced,and Davis's father took custody of youngSammy. He brought him on the road along withanother hoofer named Will Maston, and theyoungster made his stage debut as part of an actcalled 'Holiday in Dixieland', billed as 'SilentSam,The Dancing Midget'.Davis was a natural with audiences and theact soon changed its name to 'Will Mastin's GangFeaturing Little Sammy'. Film appearancesfollowed as did a 1941 stint opening for TommyDorsey, where Sammy was first to meet FrankSinatra.After a stretch in the army, he returned tojoin his old buddies and as The Will Mastin Triothey became an increasingly popular act, playingclubs like Ciro's and the Copacabana. Duringthese years,Sammy discovered his gift forcelebrity impersonations and the humour theyadded to the mix made it click even more readily.The first recordings we hear are from thatperiod and we discover a young, callow Sammy,making up in energy what he lacked in polish.The 1949 pressing of Smile, Darn Ya, Smileeven features a sample of the legendary Davistap-dancing skill.But in 1954, Decca picked up Davis and hisrecording career took off at once. Thearrangements of Broadway favourites like HeyThere or And This Is My Beloved are lush andconfident,with Sammy doing his best to live upto them.He sounds good, but it still feels a bit like akid wearing a borrowed tux: there's a sense ofentitlement that's missing. It's only when hetears into his comic impersonations,demonstrating how everyone from JimmyCagney to Cary Grant would sing Because OfYou, that he truly seems at home.And then, it all suddenly changed fo
Tracklisting
Various
Wisdom:Grenfell:Murray
Whiteman
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr.
