Sammy Davis Jr. was an entertainer’s entertainer – starting his career as a child with his father and “uncle” Will Mastin in the dance troupe the Will Mastin Trio.  Over his long career, Sammy earned more than $50 million dollars, but when he died, there was little left.  Rumors have it that not only did those close to Sammy pilfer his home as he lay dying of cancer, but that even in death, they continued to try to squeeze out money from the use of the Candy Man’s image.

Sammy was born Samuel George Davis, Jr. in Harlem on December 8, 1925 of an African American father and a Puerto Rican mother.  When his parents divorced at age 3, Sammy Sr. took little Sammy out on the road with him.  While Sammy didn’t receive a lot of formal education, he learned a lifetime about dancing, singing, and entertaining on the road.  Mastin and Sammy Sr. tried to shield little Sammy from racism as much as they could, but in the early 20th century in America, that was not possible.  For most of his life, Sammy would be torn between his actions and what was expected of him by Black Americans.

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