Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 245 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl. 

 

Usually I don’t title the episode exactly the same as the album I’m featuring, but this one was just too good not to use. Yes, we will hear the artist I think is the greatest showman who ever lived, but this record is really about Joya.

 

She is not widely known today, despite her significant contributions, because of a combination of historical and social factors that often affected women and African American artists in jazz.

 

But the gang at the Design Label teamed her up in 1957 with a fast rising star in Davis Jr to introduce her solo recordings to the world.

 

So, get ready to hear a voice that brought joy when I saw him on stage and a voice that brought joy when I heard this record in Volume 245: Sammy Jumps With Joya.

 

 

[Music: The Gypsy In My Soul]

 

 

Sammy Davis Jr. backed by an Orchestra under the direction of Morton Stevens  performing The Gypsy In My Soul

Recorded in February 1953

written by Clay Boland and Moe Jaffe

 

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

 

It was time to feature another Sammy Davis Jr album from my dad’s collection, but I noticed something different with this one. He wasn’t jumping FOR joy, he was jumping WITH Joya. Joya was a person. And not just any person, but one heck of a singer/songwriter…who I was not familiar with.

 

Here’s why.

 

During her era, the spotlight typically fell on bandleaders like Duke Ellington or more famous solo vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald, and even when Joya was featured with Ellington’s orchestra, she was regarded more as a supporting player rather than a headline act. Her role was key but not always front-and-center, so she didn’t have the kind of broad exposure that leads to lasting fame.

 

Another major reason is the limited power and visibility given to female performers in jazz; they were often overshadowed by their male colleagues and rarely promoted for their songwriting or creative input. Although Joya had impressive achievements—including her television work and children’s programming later in life—much of mainstream jazz history has celebrated only a handful of the many talented women who shaped its sound, leading to Joya’s story falling into the margins.

 

Now, she actually appears on 60 percent of the songs on the record, so we’ll feature her on 70 percent of the songs on this episode.

 

So let’s hear this soulful singer.

 

 

[Music: Baby Me]

 

 

Joya Sherrill – Baby Me

written by Lou Handman, Archie Gottler, and Harry Harris

 

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

 

Sammy Davis Jr., Joya Sherrill – Sammy Jumps With Joya

Label: Design Records – DLP 22

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono

Released: 1957

Genre: Jazz

 

We will hear 7 of the 10 songs from this album.

 

The liner notes are kind of long, so I’ll just read some excerpts.

 

Here, design presents a joyful coupling of two tremendous artists. The Fabulous Sammy Davis Jr and lovely and Sensational Joya Sherrill. How apt a description of Sammy the title of his recently starring Broadway show was… Mr wonderful. Here is a man who can do anything in show business.. and do it well. he sings, dances, clowns.. well, you name it and Sammy does it.. and what’s more he does it better than almost anyone else. He is a typical Show Business story.. born in a trunk.. celebrated his first birthday in a crib at the old Hippodrome theater where his parents Sam and Elvira Davis were performing in a Dixieland act that had been put together by will maston. One of the nice things about Sammy is that the ACT is still the will Mastin Trio starring Sammy Davis jr.

 

Coupled with Sammy is Miss Joya Sherrill a truly beautiful girl with a voice to match. Schooled under the perfectionist ears of that American Musical genius, Duke ellington, Ms Sherrill has rapidly become an important artist in the field of jazz and popular vocalizing. She has recorded over 40 sides with the Ellington Orchestra for RCA victor. Here she makes her debut as a solo recording artist.

 

Sit back and relax as Sammy jumps with Joya. 

 

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

 

$13.00 High

$1.06 Low

 

$5.15 Average

$3.58 Median

 

Last sold on Jun 03, 2025 for $4.17 or 5.75 Canadian.

 

My dad’s record is in poor condition. Lots of crackling and popping. There were a couple of songs I couldn’t even choose because of bad skips.

 

The surface is in really poor condition. You can see all the times he dropped the needle down and it slid directly to the first groove instead of setting down and gently settling into the groove.

 

The cover is also in poor condition. The white front is still pretty white and doesn’t really show that outline you usually see. There is a bad wear mark on the bottom seam that actually lets the record pop through ever so slightly.

 

It has the word Posted stamped on the back, but no green magic marker streak. He has the triple stack of address labels on the front meaning he first marked it at our first house. 

 

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at 50 cents.

 

Now we’re going to hear two in a row from Joya.

 

 

[Music: Easy Street]

[Music: Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea]

 

 

There’s Joya with Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler

 

Before that we heard Easy Street

written by Alan Rankin Jones

 

We’ve talked about Sammy Davis Junior, and my love for his talent, in several past episodes. So I think we need to learn a little more about this beautiful voice that Sammy is secondary to on this record.

 

Joya Sherrill’s story swings with the rhythm of classic jazz itself—born in Bayonne, New Jersey on August 20, 1924, she made her leap onto the great stage at just seventeen, stepping into the legendary Duke Ellington band where Ellington called her “one of his favorite singers”. Her sparkling diction and expressive style launched hits like “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” captivating audiences across the globe, and putting her name on the marquee alongside jazz giants Ray Nance, Rex Stewart, and Benny Goodman—whom she toured the Soviet Union with in 1962. Whether singing at smoky New York clubs or dazzling on Ellington’s landmark TV show “A Drum is a Woman,” Joya poured soul and energy into every note, never truly leaving the band even after marriage and motherhood—the jazz pulse always calling her home.

 

But Joya’s magic wasn’t confined to jazz nights. She sparkled on the small screen, breaking ground as one of the first African-American hosts of a children’s television show, bringing joy and swing to “Time for Joya”—later “Joya’s Fun School”—from 1970 to 1982 and even abroad in Iran. Her buoyant spirit and deep love for music lit every stage she graced, while her albums like “Sugar and Spice” and “Joya Sherrill Sings Duke” remain soulful testaments to her legacy. Joya danced through life with the syncopation of swing itself, lifting hearts with optimism and class until her final curtain, leaving behind a sound—and a smile—that will keep audiences jazzed for generations to come.

 

She died June 28, 2010. Joya Sherrill was 85 years old.

 

Next up is a song first done for the 1927 musical A Connecticut Yankee.

 

 

[Music: Thou Swell]

 

 

Thou Swell

written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

 

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with how Joya ended up writing lyrics for an already famous song.

 

Joya Sherrill was just a teenager in high school when she made her mark on jazz history by writing lyrics to one of the most iconic jazz tunes ever—“Take the ‘A’ Train.” Inspired after hearing Glenn Miller’s recording on the radio and drawn to the big band sound, Joya quickly penned lyrics to Billy Strayhorn’s now-famous melody. Her father, recognizing her talent and ambition, arranged for Duke Ellington to hear Joya sing her version while the band was in their hometown of Detroit. Ellington was impressed not only by her voice but also by the maturity of her lyrics, especially given her young age. That first Ellington meeting eventually led him to offer her a job with his band after she finished high school.

 

There was some confusion on the internet about her father’s connection to Ellington. Joya Sherrill’s father did not have a direct personal connection to Duke Ellington, but he managed to arrange the meeting through a mutual friend who helped introduce Joya to Ellington. This acquaintance enabled Joya to present her lyrics for “Take the ‘A’ Train” and perform for Ellington while she was still a high school student. Several profiles mention that her father had connections or knew people who could reach out to Ellington, but he was not himself a known associate or business partner of Duke.

 

A story of a dad looking out for his little girl.

 

Let’s do one last one from Joya before we finish with Sammy.

 

 

[Music: The End Of A Love Affair]

 

 

Joya Sherrill with The End Of A Love Affair

written by Edward Redding

 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

 

Sammy is Sammy. You can never go wrong listening to his music.

 

And I”m glad I got to meet Joya. I’ll be looking for more of her music.

 

I don’t remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.

 

I’m sure I would have remembered it because of its uniqueness.

 

It’s mostly white. Sammy Davis Jr is in black san serif font in the upper left corner. Across the top in red script font it says Jumps With Joya. Then off to the side and written sideways in red serif font is Sherrill. By the way, it’s spelled SHERRILL.

 

The photo is of Sammy jumping into the air with his legs split while touching his toes. He looks like he’s struggling to do so.

 

Joya is sitting in a directors chair underneath looking as if she’ll catch him.

 

The old fashioned 33 ⅓ LP Long Play record icon is in the bottom left with the Design Records logo in the bottom right.

 

The back is split into the usual three columns we have found specifically with budget labels. Design is a division of Pickwick and we’ve discussed that record label in the past.

 

The left third of the back includes the liner notes, the middle third has a photo of Sammy with the list of songs underneath. Those two column have a row beneath them listing other Design records including two my dad owns.

 

The right column once again talks about the Spectra Sonic Sound.

 

OK Let’s hear one more from Sammy.

 

 

[Music: Chloe]

 

 

Sammy Davis Jr. – Chloe

written by Gus Kahn and Charles N. Daniels

This was also recorded in 1957

 

And there you have selections from an album that seems to feature an icon, but really features the soulful voice of a woman who should have been more famous.

 

So thanks for tuning into Volume 245: Sammy Jumps With Joya

 

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

 

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops 

 

FOR Volume 246: Western Trails

 

Until then,

Go with the flow my friends.