John Stamos Reveals How Sammy Davis, Jr. Helped Him Play Drums on GH!
Actor John Stamos shared a wonderful throwback video for GENERAL HOSPITAL fans from when he was playing Blackie on the soap and Sammy Davis, Jr. made a guest appearance in 1982. The legendary musician played Eddie Phillips, who came to Port Charles to patch things up with his estranged son, Bryan Phillips, before he died of cancer. Luke and Blackie convinced Eddie to star in a charity performance at The Haunted Star in order to raise money for the local community sports center, which is the clip Stamos posted on Instagram.
“I was whining to him about wanting to play drums on the show, but they wouldn’t let me,” Stamos recalled of Davis, Jr.’s appearance. “He then says ‘Hold on.’ He walks off and comes back a few minutes later and says, ‘Just do what I say!’ Rather emphatically, I might add.
“We start the scene and right in the middle he ad-libs for me to play drums with him on a song,” the actor continued. “He apparently talked to [then executive producer] Gloria Monty — and I’ve been playing music on television ever since. So I have the great Sammy Davis, Jr. to thank. Thank you, Sammy!”
Stamos got his big break back in 1982 playing musician Blackie Parrish on GH and after leaving the soap in 1986, went on to find fame with the popular sitcom FULL HOUSE, where his character of Jesse Katsopolis was also a musician.
In addition to his acting, Stamos has also had quite the music career, appearing in Broadway shows like Cabaret, Nine, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He’s also played with The Beach Boys in concert, and can be seen with them in the video for their hit song “Kokomo.”
To think we have Sammy Davis, Jr. to thank for giving Stamos the chance to showcase his musical talents on screen for the very first time. He had no idea what he was starting!
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