Black Music Sunday is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music, with over 300 stories covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new.
This isn’t the first time I’ve paid tribute to the multitalented multidimensional Harry Belafonte here on Daily Kos, and I’m sure it won’t be my last. In 2023, I celebrated him on International Jazz Day, and last year paid tribute to his political activism. No one story can suffice to cover this man, his music, and his global impact.
Isaac Rosen at Musician Guide wrote his biography:
Known as the "consummate entertainer," Belafonte was born in Harlem, New York, in 1927. His parents were West Indian, and he moved with his mother to her native Jamaica when he was a child. In the five years he spent on the island he not only absorbed the music that was such a vital part of the culture but also observed the effects of colonialism, the political oppression that native Jamaicans had to endure under British rule. "That environment gave me much of my sense of the world at large and what I wanted to do with it," Belafonte was quoted as saying. [...]
Armed with a recording contract with Capital Records and the praise of critics, this bright new talent started making his mark. He first appeared on Broadway in John Murray Anderson's Almanac, for which he won a Tony Award. In 1955, in a television adaptation of the film Carmen Jones, Belafonte played the lead role and endeared himself to a national audience. Throughout the next few decades he continued to act in films such as Island in the Sun and Uptown Saturday Night, and produced television programs such as A Time for Laughter, in which he introduced U.S. audiences to then nationally unknown humorists Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx. [...]
Belafonte's Calypso [in 1956] was the first album to sell more than one million copies, a benchmark that led to the establishment of the Grammy Awards. The album was only one of many illustrious firsts in Belafonte's life. He was the first black man to win an Emmy Award as well as the first black television producer. He was also the first entertainer to be named cultural adviser to the Peace Corps by President John F. Kennedy. [...]
As important as his accomplishments in music are Belafonte's political activities on behalf of humanitarian causes around the world. … In 1985 Belafonte helped organize the recording session for the philanthropic and inspirational We Are the World, which won a Grammy Award, and he has been involved in many projects aimed at helping those suffering from poverty, homelessness, and famine around the world. As a result of his efforts to fight segregation in the United States, Belafonte was named to the board of directors of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a leading civil rights organization, and he has been chair of the memorial fund bearing the name of his friend, the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1987 he was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and he has been dubbed the "Children's Patron Saint" by Ebony magazine.
Belafonte's interest in Africa--particularly in those suffering under apartheid's white minority rule in South Africa--and his admiration for African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, inspired his critically acclaimed 1988 album Paradise in Gazankulu. … In 1990 Howard Reich, appraising Belafonte's role as both entertainer and activist, wrote in the Chicago Tribune: "Like very few entertainers, he knows how to lure an audience to his point of view--or his political cause--without preaching. Belafonte's message is one of hope and optimism, even in the face of the global tragedies he decries."
“Paradise In Gazankulu”:
“Kwela (Listen to the Man)”:
The National Museum of African American History and Culture continues his story:
His first film role was in “Bright Road,” which debuted in 1953. He co-starred alongside Dorothy Dandridge. The two then starred in Otto Preminger's hit musical, “Carmen Jones” in 1954.
In the early 1970s, Belafonte appeared in more films, including two with Sidney Poitier - “Buck and the Preacher,” which debuted in 1972 and “Uptown Saturday Night,” which made its debut in 1974. Belafonte’s film career continued well into the 80s and 90s with “Beat Street,” “White Man's Burden,” “Kansas City,” and more.
His breakthrough album “Calypso,” in 1957, introduced American audiences to Calypso music and became the first album in history to sell over one million copies within a year of release. Belafonte was the first Black American man to receive an Emmy Award, with his first solo TV special "Tonight with Belafonte." [...]
Belafonte was instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement, serving as one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most trusted confidants.
He was part of the organizational team behind the March on Washington, and he also helped plan King’s memorial after King’s assassination in 1968.
Belafonte served as the facilitator of King’s estate and managed the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Fund. His voluminous career-spanning archives were placed in the care of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City in 2020.
Belafonte, who died on April 25, 2023, will be remembered for helping break down the color barrier in film, bringing self-respect to the portrayal of Black characters, and fighting for equality across the globe.
There are a number of excellent documentaries available on YouTube about Belafonte. I’ll post two here and the others to the comments section below.
Yoruba Richen’s film on Belafonte’s hosting “The Tonight Show” is an eye-opener:
“Day-o to Freedom: The Life Of Harry Belafonte” is short and comprehensive:
Black Legacy Files notes:
Explore the extraordinary life of Harry Belafonte, a trailblazing artist, civil rights icon, and one of the most influential Black entertainers in American history.From his Harlem roots and Jamaican heritage to his Navy service during WWII, Belafonte rose to fame with global hits like “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)”. But his real power wasn’t just in his voice — it was in his fight. We’ll take you inside his transformation from pop star to political activist, his close friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his battles with the FBI, McCarthyism, and racism in Hollywood.
Let’s listen to Belafonte, starting with his million-selling album “Calypso”:
“Belafonte at Carnegie Hall” from 1959:
“Live at the BBC “ from 1977:
Please join me in the comments section below for lots more Harry Belafonte and post your favorites!
