Will Mastin (June 20, 1878 – March 14, 1979), also credited as Will Maston, was a dancer and singer.

Career on the dance floor

Mastin was the leader of the

Will Mastin Trio The Will Mastin Trio (also Will Maston Trio on some bills) was a troupe of dancers and singers formed by Will Mastin, Sammy Davis Sr., and Sammy Davis Jr. The original members were Sammy Davis Sr., Howard M. Colbert Jr., and Will Mastin, although ...

, which included

Sammy Davis Sr. Samuel George Davis Sr. (December 12, 1900 – May 21, 1988) was an American dancer and the father of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. Early life Davis was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, to Rosa B. Taylor (1870–1957) and Robert Davis (18 ...

and his son

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

Will Mastin was also the "uncle" of

Sammy's father

and Will were good friends. The

original members were Sammy Davis Sr., Howard M. Colbert Jr., and Will Mastin, although Sammy Davis Jr. would join them on stage when he was a little boy (starting at age 3). Sammy performed "unbilled" in 1929 at the Veterans Memorial in Columbus, Ohio. Sammy also knew how to act, sing and play many instruments. Howard M. Colbert Jr. was the tap-dance teacher of Sammy Davis Jr., who treated him much as an uncle. Colbert left the Trio in December 1941 to join the United States Army when the United States declared war on Germany during World War II. Sammy Davis Jr. was 16 years old at this time and became part of the main vaudeville act, replacing Colbert. The three appeared in the 1947 musical short film ''Sweet and Low'' and the 1956

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical '' Mr. Wonderful''.

Personal life

Mastin was born in

Madison, Alabama Madison is a city located primarily in Madison County, near the northern border of the U.S. state of Alabama. Madison extends west into neighboring Limestone County. The city is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, the second-largest ...

on June 20, 1878 to a single mother named Sally Mastin, according to the 1880 Federal Census of Enumeration and the California Death Index.

Death

Will Mastin died on March 14, 1979, at age 100, according to the California Death Index. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, near Sammy Davis Sr. and Sammy Davis Jr. The

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

on his tomb says only: ''He Was A Vaudevillian'', it does not provide birth and death dates.

References

External links

Will Mastin's tombWill Mastin Trio c. 1935
(left to right) Sammy Davis Sr., Sammy Davis Jr., and Will Mastin
Photograph of the Will Mastin Trio Sammy Davis Sr., Sammy Davis Jr., and Will Mastin
;RESOURCES * 2003, In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr., Billboard Books. ; 1878 births 1979 deaths Vaudeville performers American centenarians Men centenarians Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) {{US-entertainer-stub