Sandman Sims, also known as Howard Sims, was a renowned artist, legendary tap performer and a beloved member of the Harlem’s Apollo Theater and community. Among the most spectacular Amateur Night successes was James Brown's in the mid-fifties. He was 86, although he long maintained that his age was "a matter of opinion." Sims got his nickname “Sandman” from tap dancing on sand in his performances. Howard “Sandman” Sims, legendary “hoofer” (as he called himself), “executioner” and stage manager at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, died May 20 in the Bronx. Someone had to use "the hook" when an act went bad, and Howard "Sandman" Sims pulled them offstage nightly at New York City's Apollo Theater. When renown Apollo Executioner Howard “Sandman” Sims went off to California to film the 1989 dancesploitation flick Tap, Lacey was asked to … Howard "Sandman" Sims, a particularly fine tap dancer who died in 2003, would become better known as the Apollo's hook, pulling failed acts off the stage with heatrical flourish. Howard “Sandman” Sims was best known for shooing unpopular acts off the stage once the audience's collective jeers got … 2003-05-31 04:00:00 PDT New York-- Sandman Sims, the celebrated tap dancer and Apollo Theater legend, died on May 20 in the Bronx. Sandman Sims, who later took over for Porto Rico, told me in Showtime at the Apollo: "James Brown came to New York and he didn't have no shoes, nothing to dance in, nothing to sing in. See more sandman GIFs! andman Sims, the celebrated tap dancer and Apollo Theater legend, died on May 20 in the Bronx. Howard “Sandman” Sims was a legend of the Apollo Theater, chasing the bad acts off the stage after crowds boo’ed their performance. I gave him a pair of white sneakers. He did his Apollo routine for 17 years. The Howard Sandman Sims Corp. is continuing the legacy of Sandman through "The Sandman Sims Feet First Foundation," which is a non-for profit agency that is implementing free dance programs in various school systems. Create and share your own GIFs, amazing moments and funny reactions with Gfycat Howard "Sandman" Sims—the Apollo Theater's "exterminator," who ran on stage shooting a cap gun and sounding a siren when a performer got booed—claimed in 1986 that … Sandman Sims, 86, Tap Dancer and Fixture at the Apollo, Dies By DOUGLAS MARTIN. He was a … The Sand Dancer Production Company will continue with The Sandman's legacy in tap on film, television, stage. He was … the sandman had many hats.