Howard Simms
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Howard Sims, also known as "Sandman", was a tap dancer in vaudeville. He acquired his name from the sand he sprinkled on the floor to amplify the sound of his steps when he danced. In his senior years, Simms appeared at the famous Apollo Theater, comedically ushering failed acts offstage with a shepherd's crook, or "hook".
A great all round tap dancer, his speciality was sand dancing which he performed in a sand box. His mini-stage was a 3-foot square made of 2x4's with a galvanized tin floor, which (at least in later years) he had rigged to a microphone. Sandman Sims used to travel the USA challenging all tap dancers he came across to dance-offs. It is said that he never lost a challenge.
