Just Play Like You Do in the Basement: Coming of Age as the Drummer for the Greatest Entertainer in the World

This trade paperback edition features more than fifty B&W photographs, including numerous never-before-seen images of Sammy Davis, Jr.

In this intimate and inspirational coming-of-age memoir, Ricky Porrello takes readers from the basement music room of his boyhood to glittering showrooms and theaters around the world. He recounts his unlikely rise from a dedicated young jazz drummer to performing with top-tier musicians in the orchestras behind Sammy Davis, Jr.-the legendary singer, dancer, actor, and impressionist who captivated presidents, royalty, and audiences across continents. Davis broke barriers of race and entertainment and earned his place as "the greatest entertainer in the world."

At the heart of the story is Porrello himself. Driven by his father's ambition, musically influenced by family friend and drumming legend Louie Bellson-whose artistry helped shape his style-and inspired by his older brother's path, Ricky began touring internationally at just eighteen. He performed in storied destinations including Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, London, Paris, and Sydney, navigating the intense world of travel and show business as the youngest member of Sammy's entourage. Yet behind the glamour lay a more personal struggle-a young man coming of age under the weight of his father's expectations, a brother's rising star, and a family legacy rooted in Mafia violence. Complicating his path was an unshakable calling toward a life defined by duty, far from the stage.

Set against the dazzling and charged backdrop of music, travel, identity, and duty, Just Play Like You Do in the Basement explores roots, first love, the thrill of forbidden chemistry, and the deeply personal dilemma of choosing between two powerful dreams.

Author: Rick Porrello
Publisher: Rick Porrello
Published: 10/02/2025
Pages: 328
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.97lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.69d
ISBN: 9798987831243

About the Author
Porrello, Rick: - Rick Porrello, a former police chief with Mafia roots and a background in music, is the author of several true-crime books that have attracted the attention of filmmakers. His debut, The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia, began as a personal quest to understand the murders of his grandfather and uncles during Prohibition-an inquiry that drew him deep into Cleveland's organized crime history. His follow-up, To Kill the Irishman, was adapted into the 2011 film Kill the Irishman, starring Ray Stevenson, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, and Vincent D'Onofrio. Other titles by Porrello are currently in development for film.Before his law enforcement career, Porrello was a professional jazz drummer who toured internationally with Sammy Davis, Jr. for two and a half years-an experience that inspired his coming-of-age memoir, Just Play Like You Do in the Basement: Coming of Age as the Drummer for the Greatest Entertainer in the World.