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Image / Sam Davis, Sr., Sammy Davis, Jr. and Will Mastin, 1940-1955

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Title
Sam Davis, Sr., Sammy Davis, Jr. and Will Mastin, 1940-1955
Alternative Title
Jazz and Popular Music vocalists
Date Created and/or Issued
[1940-1955]
1940/1955
Contributing Institution
UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library
Collection
Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
Rights Information
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
Description
Publicity photo of the Will Mastin Trio wearing tuxedos, with (from left): Sam Davis, Sr.; Sammy Davis, Jr., wearing a white tuxedo; and Will Mastin.
Samuel George Davis Sr. was an American dancer and the father of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr. was an African American singer, musician, dancer, actor, vaudevillian and comedian. He began his career in vaudeville at the age of 3 with his father, Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio. Davis became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's (in West Hollywood) after the 1951 Academy Awards.
The Will Mastin Trio was a troupe of dancers and singers formed by Will Mastin and Sammy Davis Sr. The original members were Sammy Davis Sr., Howard M. Colbert Jr., and Will Mastin, although Sammy Davis Jr. would join them on stage when he was a little boy. They performed from the 1920s through the 1960s.
Printed on back of photo: Will Mastin Trio-Sam Davis, Sr., Sammy Davis, Jr. and Will Mastin. From the H. T. Sampson Collection.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b22_f13_004a.tif
ark:/21198/z1d80vms
Subject
African American actors
African American singers
African American dancers
Davis, Sammy, Sr., 1889-1988
Davis, Sammy, 1925-1990
Will Mastin Trio
Source
Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
OpenUCLA Collections

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