Harry Belafonte Biography

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Harry Belafonte
Pop Music | 3 CD Set
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Harry Belafonte created a career around Jamaican music in the '50s, becoming the King of Calypso. But this soft-spoken singer/actor has been involved in many activities, including in later years his efforts for UNICEF and USA For Africa. Born Harold George Belafonte in 1927 in New York City, he was an actor first but soon displayed his easygoing voice as a singer in the movie "Carmen Jones," an updated version of Bizet's lusty opera "Carmen." He began his recording career in 1956 when RCA Victor signed him and subsequently released his first single, "Jamaica Farewell," which was No. 14 in the top 40 chart that year. He followed that weeks later with "Mary's Boy Child" and a month after that with his biggest hit, No. 5 "Banana Boat," which had him singing "Day-O," a term he may have spent years being associated with. Then came "Mama Look At Bubu" (No. 11) and then "Island In the Sun," at No. 25. He had five hit singles between November 1956-July 1957. His album CALYPSO is reputed to be the first album to sell one million copies as it sat at the top of the album charts for some thirty weeks. Belafonte began moving in other genres, from pop and folk to jazz, and saw his reputation as an activist as well as ethnic singer grow through the turbulent '60s. He continued to record albums for years, including a pair of collections from Carnegie Hall that lasted for some time. In fact, he has recorded a number of "in concert" albums. By the '70s, he was still popular but his record sales had diminished. And he was still a popular live attraction who also continued to delve into film acting. He appeared in "Buck and the Preacher" and "Uptown Saturday Night" in that era and was frequently seen on television specials as a singer. As an articulate speaker, he was in the forefront of the civil rights movement and considered one of the few black artists to help break down racial barriers with music while Martin Luther King Jr. was marching through the South. Belafonte also worked hard for African recognition and sang on the popular "We Are The World" single in the '80s that brought together dozens of the best-known pop artists.

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