Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob (Abridged)

Sammy Davis Jr. lived a storied life. Adored by millions over a six-decade-long career, he was considered an entertainment icon and a national treasure. But despite lifetime earnings that topped $50 million, Sammy died in 1990 near bankruptcy. His estate was declared insolvent, and there was no possibility of it ever using Sammy's name or likeness again. It was as if Sammy had never existed.

Years later his wife, Altovise, a once-vivacious woman and heir to one of the greatest entertainment legacies of the 20th century, was living in poverty, and with nowhere else to go, she turned to a former federal prosecutor, Albert "Sonny" Murray, to make one last attempt to resolve Sammy's debts, restore his estate, and revive his legacy. For seven years Sonny probed Sammy's life to understand how someone of great notoriety and wealth could have lost everything, and in the process he came to understand Sammy as a man whose complexity makes for a riveting work of celebrity biography as cultural history.

Matt Birkbeck's serious work of investigative journalism unveils the extraordinary story of an international celebrity at the center of a confluence of entertainment, politics, and organized crime, and shows how even Sammy's outsized talent couldn't save him from himself.

A HarperAudio production.

1103372694
Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob (Abridged)

Sammy Davis Jr. lived a storied life. Adored by millions over a six-decade-long career, he was considered an entertainment icon and a national treasure. But despite lifetime earnings that topped $50 million, Sammy died in 1990 near bankruptcy. His estate was declared insolvent, and there was no possibility of it ever using Sammy's name or likeness again. It was as if Sammy had never existed.

Years later his wife, Altovise, a once-vivacious woman and heir to one of the greatest entertainment legacies of the 20th century, was living in poverty, and with nowhere else to go, she turned to a former federal prosecutor, Albert "Sonny" Murray, to make one last attempt to resolve Sammy's debts, restore his estate, and revive his legacy. For seven years Sonny probed Sammy's life to understand how someone of great notoriety and wealth could have lost everything, and in the process he came to understand Sammy as a man whose complexity makes for a riveting work of celebrity biography as cultural history.

Matt Birkbeck's serious work of investigative journalism unveils the extraordinary story of an international celebrity at the center of a confluence of entertainment, politics, and organized crime, and shows how even Sammy's outsized talent couldn't save him from himself.

A HarperAudio production.

18.99 In Stock
Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob (Abridged)

Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob (Abridged)

by Matt Birkbeck

Narrated by Peter Jay Fernandez

Abridged — 6 hours, 24 minutes

Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob (Abridged)

Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob (Abridged)

by Matt Birkbeck

Narrated by Peter Jay Fernandez

Abridged — 6 hours, 24 minutes

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Overview

Sammy Davis Jr. lived a storied life. Adored by millions over a six-decade-long career, he was considered an entertainment icon and a national treasure. But despite lifetime earnings that topped $50 million, Sammy died in 1990 near bankruptcy. His estate was declared insolvent, and there was no possibility of it ever using Sammy's name or likeness again. It was as if Sammy had never existed.

Years later his wife, Altovise, a once-vivacious woman and heir to one of the greatest entertainment legacies of the 20th century, was living in poverty, and with nowhere else to go, she turned to a former federal prosecutor, Albert "Sonny" Murray, to make one last attempt to resolve Sammy's debts, restore his estate, and revive his legacy. For seven years Sonny probed Sammy's life to understand how someone of great notoriety and wealth could have lost everything, and in the process he came to understand Sammy as a man whose complexity makes for a riveting work of celebrity biography as cultural history.

Matt Birkbeck's serious work of investigative journalism unveils the extraordinary story of an international celebrity at the center of a confluence of entertainment, politics, and organized crime, and shows how even Sammy's outsized talent couldn't save him from himself.

A HarperAudio production.


Editorial Reviews

Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, No. 128, 2010 - Peter Davenport

This volume is a successful attempt to bring archaeological evidence to bear on important academic questions and to publish both data and discussion which will provide a welcome and valuable basis for further debate.'

Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2010 - Neil Holbrook

...particularly welcome as the first detailed publication of one of these rare sites in SW England. We are indebted to the authors for seeing the job through...'

Bryn Mawr Classical Review - Geoff W. Adams

...an effective excavation report, which not only highlights the significance of the site but also outlines the authors intentions for their text. There is effective use of descriptions of the various features, which are complemented by a good range of maps, illustrations and photographs.'

Product Details

BN ID: 2940173839695
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 09/18/2021
Edition description: Abridged
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