Sammy Davis, Jr.

One of America's greatest treasures, Sammy Davis Jr. was a masterful entertainer who could turn his hand to most things - singing, dancing, comedy, TV and movies - and will forever be associated with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin as one of the Rat Pack who reigned supreme in Las Vegas through the 1950s and 1960s. He was just three when he first started appearing as a vaudeville entertainer with his father and Will Mastin in the Will Mastin Trio, going on to a hugely successful recording and film career. Despite losing his left eye in a car crash in 1954, Davis Jr starred on Broadway in the show Mr Wonderful, appeared in his first Rat Pack movie Ocean's Eleven in 1960 and had his only Number 1 hit single in 1972 with Candy Man. His other major records included What Kind Of Fool Am I? and I've Gotta Be Me. It was rare for a black artist at the time to gain such affection from mainstream America, and elements of the black movement were disdainful of his popularity with white audiences despite aligning himself with civil rights campaigns. He continued to perform in various fields and retained his popularity until his death from cancer in 1990.

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