This guy was a genius; it breaks my heart see how he was treated by venue owners, etc. He wasn't allowed into restaurants with white diners and some hotels refused to accommodate him. I cannot believe the cruelty; yet until the day he died, he led his life with such dignity and charm. We could all learn something from this lovely and talented man. The best all-round entertainer of his time......and some!
SOY MEXICANO Y LLEGUE A APRECIAR DESDE NIÑO GRACIAS A MI PADRE DON SALVADOR GRACIAN AL BUEN CINE Y CANTANTES NORTEAMERICANOS COMO SAMMY QUIEN DEJO HUELLA PROFUNDA EN MI CORAZON. BENDICIONES HERMANO.
Fantastic.. just fantastic. Sammy was/is a man of great dignity without doubt an absolutely lovely gentleman. The worlds a sadder place without you sir. Till we meet again..
The intonations of his voice, so unique and intuitive. He gives a kind of Jazz twist to the melody too, his own style, brilliant interpretation of Burt Bacharach's composition. It's amazing too how he suddenly strikes up the orchestra too - hadn't even taken his jacket off and still puffing on a cig ha!! He also evokes a kind of euphoria with his gestures, and even the way he dances and physically/soulfully becomes so involved with the music, a healing uplifting performance that gives me goose bumps every time I return to this... and many times. He naturally bends the notes and comes spot on with pitch too. To think too of his private life and all he surmounted in his life, a minority, a black man who beat the odds, amazing. Oh, not to miss mentioning his great sense of humor!
@@terrylawrence8362 Hi Terry! Your message comes poignantly as I was just feeling down in my self-imposed existentialist quandry etc plus just minutes ago realizing I turned off my refridgerator 26 hours ago before I recorded some music and lost $112 worth of meat, eggs, and cheese. I've worked a lot at songwriting and general nonfiction/journal/fiction/screenplay but all great for my soul or to me but to very few else ha! Thanks for your kind words!
The dude is performing like a Boss! Making jokes, and smoking! SMOKING!!! LOL!!! he's so smooth and relaxed of there that he botches the lyric at the beginning of TGE song and recovers so smooth that you don't even notice. Then he starts singing as easily as he's talking...THATS an entertainer.
Perhaps the MOST dynamically diverse entertainer of all-time; singing, multi-instrumentalist, actor, impersonator, dancer, gun tricks...no doubt, there's a lot more to this singular, childhood prodigy!
This unique guy had a tremendous self-awareness. A love of life almost unequalled. A great love of jazz - and music itself. A fireball of a character. A wonderful singing voice. Hell, who was his equal in every aspect?
Total perfection,that was Sammy's trademark. He made everything look easy with his many talents. My wife and I saw him live back in 1982 and we were in pure heaven for the two hours of his singing, drumming, vocal imitations, tapping, and dancing like James Brown, Michael Jackson and others, and telling jokes. Sammy did it all, right up to ending with "Mr. Bojangles", that brought on two encores. We let him go after that, we could see that he was tired, and he sure gave us one heck of a show.
I really appreciate this video. I've watched this over and over again. Sammy's so young and natural improv shows deep into his spirit and character. You can see his careless, unrestrictive, free following performance that leaves me in awe. It's like we're hanging out and Sammy just gets up and performs. Real natural, possibly high, possibly exhausted, but with all the feeling of his life and his life experiences displayed while singing this song. It's extraordinary and fantastic. A one of a kind man. The world truly has lost a talent. RIP SAMMY. AMEN
We were so privileged to see Sammy at the Melbourne Tennis Centre in March 1989, a little over a year later, we lost this fantastic entertainer. Its a great tribute to the man to see all these comments.
They actually did that live on the spot? Man that performance was unbelievable! Im going to learn this song just like that. The bass is "so slammin!" The vocals, my lord Sammy's vocals!! Thank you so much for posting this work of art!
One of my best memories is I was able to see him perform at a Casino in Lake Tahoe. He even sang and danced to Mr. Bojangles. it was magic to listen and watch him.
Sammy was so cool. So smooth. Look how he works the camera (makes it so personal). What a talent! I hate that he had to get old and eventually die. Wish he could stay like that forever.
