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The mid-1970s was a difficult period for Sammy Davis, Jr. both personally and professionally. The ever-changing musical tastes of the public, his insatiable drive to stay relevant in the world of showbiz, and his tendency to find consolation in a variety of extracurricular activities, all played a part in a relative career lull from an artistic point of view. There was one constant in Sammy’s life, though, and that was a demanding live performance schedule that continued to take him across America and, in particular, across the world.

Sammy loved to travel. During the 1970s his star shone brightest in international markets where he was a significant drawcard. Between 1973 and 1977, Sammy made appearances in England, Japan, Germany, France, Canada and Mexico. In April 1977, he made a five city tour of Australia, appearing in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane, along with two shows in Sydney at the Sydney Opera House on Saturday 9th April.

At this point, Sammy’s recording contract with 20th Century had finished and he was producing his own material through a company named SYNI Corporation, set up in partnership with his manager Sy Marsh. Engineers from RCA Records set up at the Sydney Opera House to record Sammy’s two shows, from which selections would be made to create Sammy’s fifth live album, titled In Person: Australia ’77. It would follow one for Decca in 1958 and three for Reprise. (While live albums were recorded in the early 1970s for both Motown and then MGM, they were never released).

Sammy obviously relished the environment of one of the world’s greatest landmarks, writing in the LP’s liner notes “It was a thrill for me. I’ve never worked in the kind of surroundings in Australia in my life. To work in that magnificent hall and that kind of sound system, with the musicians you will hear on record – it really was an experience.” Sammy was accompanied by a collection of top local jazz musicians calling themselves the Australian All-Stars. Unlike Sammy’s previous double-LP live recordings, there are no monologues beyond a brief introduction.

All of the tunes with which Sammy is most identified were included (“I’ve Gotta Be Me”, “The Candy Man”, “What Kind Of Fool Am I”, “The Birth Of The Blues”, “Mr. Bojangles”) along with a few new inclusions into Sammy’s live repertoire: two songs from the hit musical A Chorus Line (“I Can Do That” and “What I Did For Love”), and Barry Manilow’s “I Write The Songs”, which two months earlier had won the Grammy for Song of the Year. 

The two most notable tracks are “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby (With A Dixie Melody)” and a medley of songs paying tribute to Frank Sinatra. The first serves as Sammy’s vehicle for his regular stable of impressions – Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Cagney, Cary Grant, Marlon Brando, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The second is an outstanding piece of entertainment – Sammy tells the story of his relationship with Frank through songs that Frank was singing at each stage of that relationship, from “I’ll Never Smile Again” to “My Way”.

Released in Australia in a gatefold LP sleeve, In Person: Australia ’77 made the Australian charts for 3 weeks, peaking at #90. It was distributed by RCA Victor in Australia and Japan, and for other international markets such as Europe and South Africa it was re-titled In Person ’77. 

Sammy claimed “I can tell the people who’ll buy this album – this will be the best Sammy Davis, Jr. album you’ll ever get, and I’ve made a few.” This isn’t even remotely close to being true, but Sammy can be forgiven his penchant for hyperbole because – despite being less sonorous than in his heyday – he is indeed in great voice throughout most of the album. Sammy evidently appreciated the experience of recording the album in Sydney because he repeated it two years later on another trip to Australia, producing a second live LP on RCA titled Hearin’ Is Believin’.