Will Mastin Trio
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The Will Mastin Trio (also Will Maston Trio on some bills) was a trio of dancers and singers formed by Will Mastin, Sammy Davis, Sr. and Sammy Davis, Jr.. They performed from 1920s through 1960s.
Will Mastin led the vaudeville dance troupe Sammy Davis, Sr. worked for. As a child Sammy Davis, Jr. often accompanied his father on tour and treated Mastin as his uncle. Soon the child joined the act and they became the Will Mastin Trio.
This occurred in mid 1920s. To overcome child labour bans, Sammy Davis, Jr. was often presented as "Silent Sam the Dancing Midget" and used to walk around the backstage with a cigar and a girl under his arm.
The trio stopped performing when Sammy Davis, Jr. was called to serve in the United States Army in 1943, but resumed their activity after the end of World War II in Portland Oregon. Even if Sammy Davis, Jr.'s solo career was greatly successful, he still performed from time to time with his father and uncle as the Will Mastin Trio during 1950s and 1960s, frequently giving them billing on his shows and singles.
Among their credited appearances are the movie Sweet and Low of 1947 and the musical Mr. Wonderful, staged on Broadway from 1956 to 1957.
Bonds of deep affection tied the three men together. They have been buried in the same cemetery, one next to the other, in the Davis family tomb.
