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Harry Belafonte music biography continued...

Harold George Belafonte, Jr., was born March 1, 1927, in Harlem, NY. The son of Caribbean-born immigrants, he returned with his mother to her native Jamaica at the age of eight, remaining there for the next five years. When Belafonte returned to New York he began studying acting and started singing in clubs to pay for his theater classes. With guitarist and friend Millard Thomas, Belafonte soon made his debut at the legendary jazz club The Village Vanguard. In 1952 he received a contract with RCA Victor. His first full-release single was "A-Rovin'"/"Chiminey Smoke", recorded in 1952. His breakthrough album Calypso (1956) became the first LP to sell over 1 million copies. The album introduced American audiences to Calypso music, which they embraced wholeheartedly. One of the songs included in the album is the now famous "Banana Boat Song," which reached number five pop, and featured its signature lyric "Day-O". In fact, Calypso ultimately landed at number four on Billboard's "Top 100 Album" list.



While primarily known for his Calypso songs, Belafonte has recorded in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. His second-best hit, which came immediately after "The Banana Boat Song", was the novelty tune "Mama Look at Bubu", also known as "Mama Look a Boo-Boo", in which he sings humorously about misbehaving and disrespectful children. It reached number eleven on the pop chart. Belafonte continued to record for RCA through the 1950s to the 1970s. Two live albums, both recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1959 and 1960, enjoyed critical and commercial success. He was one of many entertainers recruited by Frank Sinatra to perform at the Inaugural gala of President John F. Kennedy in 1961. That same year he released his second Calypso album, Jump Up Calypso, which went on to become another million seller. When Belafonte's star as a recording artist and performer began to wane in the 1970s, he turned to the political and humanitarian causes that he is also well-known for. But for millions, Belafonte will always be known as the man who brought the island beat to the world.