But simply because of the fact that this man contributed something that no one else will ever be able to duplicate or to fill the gap now that he’s missing. Out of sheer and total respect, just a few bars of Mr. Nat ‘King’ Cole.”  Another thing that Sammy did was play himself on stage, outside of his impersonations.  The man talking to you between songs was Davis, not his on stage persona.  He carried himself with the utmost poise and did so because he wanted, above all other things, respect.  This impersonation is the exemplification of his class.  Davis makes it seem like an honor to be doing a bit about Cole, you can see his actual admiration for the man.  It is almost like he is introducing him to come out and play but Cole’s voice comes out of Davis instead of the man coming up on stage himself.  Davis is paying his respects to the dead singer through his own routine.  And the way in which he introduces the late Cole, not to be overlooked, is an incredibly articulate preamble to his bit.  But this was always the case with Sammy, he drove himself to speak as an educated man would even though he himself had not attended kindergarten.  It was all part of how he presented himself, always with the utmost class leaving no room for anyone to look down upon him.
It is the way Davis carries himself between impersonations that shows the true character of the man and marks the difference in performance for Black artists that he helped bring about.  On stage Davis is himself, and so he carries himself with class and earns the respect of the audience.  What he is not doing is making the performance about the color of his skin, winning laughs with a caricature of blacks in America.  He showcases his talent and lets it speak for itself, like at the end when he goes for the big finish with his own voice.  The figurative floodgates open up and Sammy fills the room with his voice, outshining any of his previous impersonations.  It is the highlight of the song, the part that sticks in your head, the “wow” factor.  The audience can’t help but to be impressed at the flare and skill he displays.  That is how he won rooms and that is how he wanted to represent black America, with displays of his talent.
The respect and dignity which he gave and demanded as a result of his performances was something that Davis had made a conscious effort to include in all his appearances.  In an interview with Alex Haley in 1966, Sammy spoke about his motivations and his career.  One incident that he spoke about stands out as the true beginning for his philosophy on performance.  While in the armed forces Sammy did shows for his fellow troops, singing and dancing. 