Just Play Like You Do in the Basement

This hardcover edition includes a dust jacket. This book 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 Biography

About the Author Rick Porrello is a former police chief with Mafia roots and a background in music. He’s the author of To Kill the Irishman, which was adapted into the 2011 film Kill the Irishman, and several other true-crime books. His interest in organized crime was sparked by the murders of his grandfather and three uncles, which led him to write his first book, The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia. Before entering law enforcement, he toured internationally as a jazz drummer with Sammy Davis, Jr.-an experience that inspired his coming-of-age memoir, Just Play Like You Do in the Basement.