Somto BisinaHarry Belafonte, the renowned actor, producer, singer, and activist known for popularizing calypso music with hits like “Day-O” (The Banana Boat Song) and for his tireless efforts in advocating for civil rights and addressing global injustices, has passed away at the age of 96.
Harry Belafonte, who received the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2014, died on Tuesday from congestive heart failure at his home in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, with his wife, Pamela, by his side, according to his long-time spokesman, Ken Sunshine, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
While Belafonte’s brassy showtunes, folk and blues finesse, and soulful jazz, R&B, and Tin Pan Alley standards were his playgrounds as a lyric baritone, his music extended beyond his signature hits such as “Banana Boat Song (Day-O),” “Come Back Liza,” “Man Smart (Woman Smarter),” and his ground-breaking 1956 album “Calypso.” Here are some of Belafonte’s other career highlights:
“Man Piaba” (1954)
Belafonte’s debut album with RCA, “Mark Twain and Other Folk Favourites,” featured live versions of traditional folk songs, but it was an original composition co-written with Jack K. Rollins, who initially talent managed Belafonte to great success, that showcased the singer’s talents. With rapid-fire lyrics reminiscent of Jay-Z and cosmic references to Albert Einstein, relativity, and the Hayden Planetarium, Belafonte exhibited his cleverness and humor, making him a force to be reckoned with.
“Troubles” (1956)
Drawing on his early years performing in New York City’s cocktail lounges, Belafonte’s original composition weaves together an atmospheric blend of honky-tonk, jazzy blues, and a poignant tale of sorrow and worry that would have resonated with Frank Sinatra’s “Sings for Only the Lonely.”
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“Noah” (1956)
In a dramatic recitation turned gospel doo-wop tribute, Belafonte and author/essayist William Attaway transformed the story of Noah’s ark and its animals into a gritty, wrath-filled wonder, highlighted by the raw intensity in Belafonte’s voice as he growls, “It’s gonna rain.”
“A Fool for You” (1958)
On his album “Belafonte Sings the Blues,” Belafonte channeled the various shades of Ray Charles, and his rendition of “A Fool for You” stands out as a hauntingly spare and emotionally charged expression of Charles’ pain and passion.
“Another Man Done Gone” (1960)
Long before the conversation around Black incarceration and prison reform gained prominence, Belafonte recorded an album of chain gang work songs that included the classic “Another Man Done Gone,” co-written by folk musicologist Alan Lomax, along with Vera Hall, John Lomax, and Ruby Pickens Tartt.
“Midnight Special” (1962)
Belafonte’s Bo Diddley-inspired take on this traditional blues number showcases the vocalist at his most self-assured and confident. Notably, this recording also marks the first official release of a young Bob Dylan playing harmonica.
In addition to his musical achievements, Belafonte’s legacy as a pioneering advocate for civil rights and social justice will be remembered as a defining aspect of his extraordinary life and career.
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