Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob
Encyclopedia
Deconstructing Sammy is the critically acclaimed book by author Matt Birkbeck
about the life and death of Sammy Davis, Jr.
and the subsequent efforts to restore his legacy. The book focuses on the efforts of a Pennsylvania lawyer, Albert "Sonny" Murray Jr., who was hired in 1994 by Sammy's poverty-stricken wife Altovise
to help resolve Sammy's debts. Upon his death from cancer in 1990, Sammy Davis Jr. owed over $15 million, of which $7 million was owed to the Internal Revenue Service. Murray spent seven years representing the Davis estate, from 1994 to 2001, during which time he resolved the debts, restored Sammy's legacy and earned Sammy a posthumous Grammy Award
in 2001. It is Murray's investigation that carries the narrative thread, and exposes Sammy as a brilliant yet tragic figure in American culture.
The New York Times
said in a December 2008 review that the book was "Gripping" and "Sensational." The Los Angeles Times
called Deconstructing Sammy "Epic" and "Tremendous" in a stirring November 2008 review. The Tennessee Tribune described the book as "stunning" in a November 2008 review.
Deconstructing Sammy was published in hardcover in September 2008 by Amistad
Harper Collins. The paperback version was published in September 2009.
Matt Birkbeck
Matt Birkbeck is an American author and award winning investigative journalist. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Reader's Digest, Boston Magazine and a host of other magazines, including People, where he served as a correspondent for a decade. In 2004, he...
about the life and death of Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
and the subsequent efforts to restore his legacy. The book focuses on the efforts of a Pennsylvania lawyer, Albert "Sonny" Murray Jr., who was hired in 1994 by Sammy's poverty-stricken wife Altovise
Altovise Davis
Altovise Davis was an American entertainer, best known as Sammy Davis, Jr.'s third wife.Born in Charlotte, North Carolina as Altovise Joanne Gore, she was raised in Brooklyn, New York and worked during the 1960s as a chorus-line dancer in various musical shows both in London and on Broadway.Her...
to help resolve Sammy's debts. Upon his death from cancer in 1990, Sammy Davis Jr. owed over $15 million, of which $7 million was owed to the Internal Revenue Service. Murray spent seven years representing the Davis estate, from 1994 to 2001, during which time he resolved the debts, restored Sammy's legacy and earned Sammy a posthumous Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 2001. It is Murray's investigation that carries the narrative thread, and exposes Sammy as a brilliant yet tragic figure in American culture.
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said in a December 2008 review that the book was "Gripping" and "Sensational." The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called Deconstructing Sammy "Epic" and "Tremendous" in a stirring November 2008 review. The Tennessee Tribune described the book as "stunning" in a November 2008 review.
Deconstructing Sammy was published in hardcover in September 2008 by Amistad
Amistad
"Amistad" is a Spanish noun meaning "friendship". It may refer to:Ships* Amistad/Amitie, an 18th century schooner that transported Acadians from France to Louisiana....
Harper Collins. The paperback version was published in September 2009.