A01=Burt Boyar
A01=Jane Boyar
A01=Sammy Davis
american music
artistic authenticity and fame
Author_Burt Boyar
Author_Jane Boyar
Author_Sammy Davis
Black History Month reads
Black identity
Black in show business
Broadway
Broadway and racial integration
Category=DNB
Category=DNBF
Category=JBSL1
comedian
cultural impact of Sammy Davis Jr.
dean martin
elvis
entertainment industry
entertainment industry insights
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
fame
frank sinatra
groundbreaking Black entertainer
Jewish
jr.
legacy of Black musicians in America
martin luther king
memoir
memoir of racial barriers in show business
music
nightclub
race
Racial equality in entertainment
Rat Pack memoir
Sammy Davis Jr. memoir
show business
star
the rat pack
twentieth-century music history
vaudeville
will mastin trio
Product details
- ISBN 9780374395438
- Weight: 558g
- Dimensions: 140 x 213mm
- Publication Date: 19 Jan 2026
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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Originally published in 1965, and now being reissued in time for Sammy Davis Jr.’s hundredth birthday, Yes I Can is the groundbreaking and unforgettable legend’s equally groundbreaking and unforgettable memoir, an absolute classic of its genre that retains its power and energy to this day. The famously frank entertainer (aka “Mr. Show Business” or, in his own words, “the only Black, Puerto Rican, one-eyed Jewish entertainer in the world”) reveals the truth about working, creating art, and surviving as a Black performer in twentieth-century America. In its time, Yes I Can was a rare and candid - and hugely bestselling - exploration of the living contradictions and tensions Davis confronted throughout his storied career. It remains so today.
From his beginnings as a vaudevillian and a nightclub act in segregated bars and theaters; to sharing the first interracial kisses on Broadway and on network TV; to running with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra in the Rat Pack, and his friendships with Elvis, JFK, Martin Luther King, and more; Davis’s star power dazzled the world for decades. But out of the spotlight, he confronted racism and the unrelenting pressure to perform his identity inoffensively or face the consequences society imposed. His memoir was the first to immerse readers in the knotted intersection of Blackness and fame, recounted with unflinching honesty and a bold pursuit of authenticity.
Now, with a new introduction from Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson that reframes Davis for a new century, Yes I Can is a master class, a raw and revealing record of a man who rebuked expectations, and the legacy born of his unique talents - and of the resilience that made him a star.
Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990) was a legendary singer, dancer, and actor known for landmark roles on stage and screen. A Rat Pack member, he broke racial barriers in Hollywood and beyond with his incredible talent. Known for "The Candy Man" and "Mr. Bojangles," Davis also championed civil rights and remains an icon of resilience and artistic excellence.
