“I had to prove I was somebody. And I knew the only way to do that was to show the world what I could do.”
—Sammy Davis Jr.
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.
