When Sammy Davis Jr. stepped onto the stage in Dortmund, West Germany, in June 1985, he was approaching six decades in show business. The performance took place at the opening of the Hohensyburg Casino, where the veteran entertainer treated the crowd to a masterclass in stagecraft. At 59, Davis still possessed the lightning footwork and expressive vocal phrasing that had made him a Broadway sensation and international headliner. His appearance in Dortmund placed his enduring talents on full display, showcasing an artist completely in command of his medium.
The emotional centrepiece of the night was his performance of “Mr. Bojangles,” a song that had evolved into a regular fixture of his live act. Out and About NYC described the rendition as a blend of singing, storytelling and tap dancing. Davis once noted that he could not do a concert without including it, regarding the track as much more than a routine cover. Rather than simply performing the song, he transformed the piece into a dramatic character study, pulling the audience into the bittersweet world of an itinerant dancer.
The song had humble origins far removed from lavish casino stages. Songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker composed the tune after sharing a New Orleans jail cell with an impoverished street performer in 1965, turning that brief encounter into a poignant reflection on art, age and survival. After Walker released his own recording in 1968, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1970 version became a major pop hit. Davis embraced the song soon after, releasing his definitive studio version on his 1972 MGM album Portrait of Sammy Davis, Jr. with a lush arrangement by Don Costa.
For Davis, the narrative carried deep personal resonance. As a young performer, he was mentored and strongly influenced by the legendary Bill Robinson, whose nickname was Bojangles. While Walker never wrote the song about Robinson, Davis understood the real struggles faced by Black performers from that earlier era. His daughter Tracey later recalled that he initially hesitated to sing it, fearing the painful decline that many older performers endured. Years earlier, on Tom Jones’s television show in 1970, Davis had even explored the drama of the song purely through dance while Jones sang. For a look at the song’s roots, watch songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker perform “Mr. Bojangles” during a 1976 appearance on Austin City Limits.
That blend of athletic rhythm and theatrical honesty helps explain why the 1985 Dortmund footage continues to reach fresh audiences. The performance has collected more than 22.4 million views on YouTube, drawing passionate praise from listeners. One viewer remarked that Davis was not merely singing a song but telling a story, while another called him the definition of talent. Several commenters highlight his versatility, pointing out how rare it has become to find a single entertainer who can act, sing, dance and command an entire stage alone.
Davis kept the song at the heart of his repertoire for the rest of his career, using it to close his final show at Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe on September 17, 1989. The German recording survives as a vivid document of a song-and-dance tradition that Davis spent a lifetime perfecting. Rather than treating the song as a museum piece, he gave it breath, movement and warmth. In his hands, the tale of a forgotten dancer became an enduring tribute to the dignity of the performing life.