Will Mastin Trio

Will Mastin Trio The Will Mastin Trio was an American vaudeville and jazz performance group noted for its tap dance choreography and stage revues in the early to mid-20th century. Centered in Los Angeles and active on the Chitlin' Circuit, the ensemble linked performers from Broadway to Hollywood, appearing in theatrical circuits, nightclubs, and film, and helping launch the career of Sammy Davis Jr..

History

Formed in the 1910s, the group toured vaudeville circuits including Borscht Belt, Apollo Theater, and venues across New York City, Chicago, Detroit, and the East Coast. During the 1920s and 1930s they performed alongside acts booked by agencies such as the Williams & Walker tradition and promoters connected to Black Broadway, often sharing bills with performers from Tin Pan Alley, Harlem Renaissance figures, and groups managed through networks tied to Florenz Ziegfeld and Morris Gest. In the 1940s the Trio appeared in Hollywood revues and film shorts during the studio era dominated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, RKO Pictures, and Columbia Pictures, and by the 1950s shifted between nightclub dates in Las Vegas and television variety programs syndicated from New York City.

Members

Principal members included veteran performer Will Mastin (born in Missouri), dancer-choreographer Howard M. Colbert III, and prodigy-turned-star Sammy Davis Jr. (who joined as a child). The Trio’s personnel reflected connections with families and mentorships common in African American performance communities; members collaborated with musicians and arrangers from Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and bandleaders who led ensembles through Savoy Ballroom and Cotton Club circuits. Backup musicians and singers often included sidemen associated with Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and accompanists from ragtime and early swing traditions.

Performances and Repertoire

The Trio’s repertoire blended tap dance routines, comic patter, song-and-dance numbers derived from show tunes and jazz standards, and sketches influenced by minstrel-era circuits reframed for contemporary audiences. Their sets frequently incorporated songs from the catalogs of George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and adaptations of pieces associated with Fletcher Henderson and Jelly Roll Morton. Their stagecraft drew on techniques used at venues such as the Apollo Theater and was often presented alongside orchestras led by Jimmy Lunceford and Bennie Moten, featuring instrumentalists who collaborated with Charlie Parker and contemporaries from bebop sessions. The Trio also engaged with topical revues produced by impresarios similar to Lew Leslie and toured in shows that included acts promoted through agencies linked to Harry Houdini-era vaudeville circuits.

Recordings and Film Appearances

Although primarily a live act, members of the Trio participated in recordings and short films during the studio era. They appeared in movie shorts and variety pictures produced by companies akin to RKO Pictures and recorded tracks issued on labels similar to Decca Records and Capitol Records. Their film appearances connected them to motion-picture revues that featured stars from Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Ethel Waters, and entertainers who crossed between Broadway and Hollywood. Recordings captured numbers that echoed arrangements favored by bandleaders such as Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman, and later compilations and archival releases have been issued alongside collections documenting African American stage performance in the 20th century.

Legacy and Influence

The Trio is remembered chiefly for mentoring Sammy Davis Jr., who would go on to headline shows on Las Vegas Strip venues, appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, and act in films and television series associated with Rat Pack members like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Peter Lawford. Their influence is cited in histories of vaudeville and African American performance, alongside contemporaries such as Nicholas Brothers, Irene Castle, and choreographers connected to Bill Robinson. The Trio’s contributions are documented in archives, museum collections, and retrospectives at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, and performing arts libraries that preserve materials related to Black entertainers of the 20th century. Their blend of dance, song, and comedy helped shape variety entertainment and bridged touring circuits with the emerging mass media of radio, record, and film.

Category:American dance groups Category:Vaudeville performers Category:African American entertainers