Sammy Davis, Jr.Sammy Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem on December 8, 1925 to Elvera Sanchez, a chorus girl, and Sam Davis, a dancer. He was raised by his father and grandmother. His father was in a play with Will Mastin, who was a close family friend. At a young age, Sammy joined the group as a singer and dancer. They were known as the “Will Mastin Trio”. It wasn't the best job, but it put food on the table. Sammy tried to join the Army when Pearl Harbor was bombed, but he was too young. The following year he enlisted. He had to go through basic training eight times because there wasn't much room for artists in the army. He was humiliated and spat on in the army, but this made him want to perform more. After his discharge the trio reunited and Sammy met Frank Sinatra for the first time. Sammy wanted to become a big star and realized this big difference between most black artists and famous white artists. Most of the black performers came on stage, played a few songs, joked with each other, and left. The white performers spoke to the audience. It was as if black artists were unfit to speak to audiences. Sammy changed that at a Hollywood nightclub. He “touched the audience”. This got him a recording contract with Decca. When Sammy was a rising star, he was driving from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. He had an accident that took out his left eye. This gave him publicity and boosted his career. He later converted to Judaism and began referring to God as “The Cat Upstairs.” Sammy worked hard. You already know he had many talents. What you probably didn't know is that he often worked on multiple projects at the same time. He never received an award, but was simply an artist, not a writer. The Rat Pack consisted of Sammy, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and many other actors who worked together in Ocean's Eleven. While they were in Las Vegas filming scenes, they worked at the Sands Hotel and Casino. In 1960 he married May Britt. They had children, but Sammy's dedication to his career led to their divorce. Sammy was active in politics. He supported the Democrats until 1972, when he ran for President Nixon. When asked about the sale, Sammy said Nixon had bought it with good deeds for our country.