Harry Belafonte (/ˌbɛləˈfɒnti/BEL-ə-FON-tee; bornHarold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, andcivil rights activist who popularizedcalypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte's career breakthrough albumCalypso (1956) was the first million-sellingLP by a single artist.[1]
Belafonte was born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.[7] on March 1, 1927, at Lying-in Hospital inHarlem, New York City, the son of Jamaican-born parents Harold George Bellanfanti Sr. (1900–1990), who worked as a chef, and Melvine Love (1906–1988), a housekeeper.[8][9][10] There are disputed claims of his father's place of birth, which is also stated asMartinique.[11] Belafonte had also a younger brother named Dennis.
From 1932 to 1940, Belafonte lived with one of his grandmothers in her native country of Jamaica, where he attendedWolmer's Schools. Upon returning to New York City, he had a brief, unsuccessful stay atGeorge Washington High School.[13] It was later reported that undiagnoseddyslexia and blindness in one eye contributed to his academic difficulties.[14] After dropping out of high school, he joined theU.S. Navy and served duringWorld War II.[15][16] In the 1940s, he worked as a janitor's assistant, during which a tenant gave him, as a gratuity, two tickets to see theAmerican Negro Theater. He fell in love with the art form and befriendedSidney Poitier, who was also financially struggling. They regularly purchased a single seat to local plays, trading places in between acts, after informing the other about the progression of the play.[17]
Belafonte started his career in music as a club singer in New York to pay for his acting classes.[21] The first time he appeared in front of an audience, he was backed by the Charlie Parker band, which includedCharlie Parker,Max Roach, andMiles Davis, among others.[22] He launched his recording career as a pop singer on the Roost label in 1949, but quickly developed a keen interest infolk music, learning material through theLibrary of Congress' American folk songs archives. Along with guitarist and friend Millard Thomas, Belafonte soon made his debut at the jazz clubThe Village Vanguard.[23] In 1953, he signed a contract withRCA Victor, recording exclusively for the label until 1974.[24] Belafonte also performed during theRat Pack era inLas Vegas.[25] Belafonte's first widelyreleased single, which went on to become his "signature" audience participation song in virtually all his live performances, was "Matilda", recorded April 27, 1953.[24] Between 1953 and 1954, he was a cast member of theBroadwaymusical revue andsketch comedy showJohn Murray Anderson's Almanac where he sang "Mark Twain",[26] of which he was also the songwriter.[citation needed]
Harry Belafonte inJohn Murray Anderson's Almanac on Broadway, photographed byCarl Van Vechten, 1954
Following his success in the filmCarmen Jones (1954), Belafonte had his breakthrough album withCalypso (1956), which became the firstLP in the world to sell more than one million copies in a year.[27] He stated that it was the first million-selling album ever in England.[citation needed] The album is number four onBillboard's "Top 100 Album" list for having spent 31 weeks at number 1, 58 weeks in the top ten, and 99 weeks on the U.S. chart.[28] The album introduced American audiences tocalypso music, which had originated inTrinidad and Tobago in the early 19th century, and Belafonte was dubbed the "King of Calypso", a title he wore with reservations since he had no claims to anyCalypso Monarch titles.[29]
One of the songs included in the album is "Banana Boat Song", listed as "Day-O" on theCalypso LP, which reached number five on the pop chart and featured its signature lyric "Day-O".[30]
Many of the compositions recorded forCalypso, including "Banana Boat Song" and "Jamaica Farewell", gave songwriting credit toIrving Burgie.[31]
In the United Kingdom, "Banana Boat Song" was released in March 1957 and spent ten weeks in the top 10 of theUK singles chart, reaching a peak of number two, and in August, "Island in the Sun" reached number three, spending 14 weeks in the top 10. In November, "Mary's Boy Child" reachednumber one in the UK, where it spent seven weeks.[32]
WithJulie Andrews on the NBC specialAn Evening with Julie Andrews and Harry Belafonte (1969)
While primarily known for calypso, Belafonte recorded in many different genres, includingblues,folk,gospel,show tunes, andAmerican standards. His second-most popular hit, which came immediately after "The Banana Boat Song", was the comedic tune "Mama Look at Bubu", also known as "Mama Look a Boo-Boo", originally recorded byLord Melody in 1955,[33] in which he sings humorously about misbehaving and disrespectful children. It reached number 11 on the pop chart.[34]
In 1959, Belafonte starred inTonight With Belafonte, a nationally televised special that featuredOdetta, who sang "Water Boy" and performed a duet with Belafonte of "There's a Hole in My Bucket" that hit the national charts in 1961.[35] Belafonte was the first Jamaican American to win anEmmy, forRevlon Revue: Tonight with Belafonte (1959).[4] Two live albums, both recorded atCarnegie Hall in 1959 and 1960, enjoyed critical and commercial success. From his 1959 album, "Hava Nagila" became part of his regular routine and one of his signature songs.[36] He was one of many entertainers recruited byFrank Sinatra to perform at theinaugural gala of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy in 1961, which includedElla Fitzgerald andMahalia Jackson, among others.[37] Later that year, RCA Victor released another calypso album,Jump Up Calypso, which went on to become another million seller. During the 1960s he introduced several artists to U.S. audiences, most notably South African singerMiriam Makeba and Greek singerNana Mouskouri. His albumMidnight Special (1962) includedBob Dylan as harmonica player.[38]
Belafonte's fifth and final calypso album,Calypso Carnival, was issued by RCA in 1971.[43] Belafonte's recording activity slowed down after releasing his final album for RCA in 1974. From the mid-1970s to early 1980s, Belafonte spent most of his time on tour, which included concerts in Japan, Europe, andCuba.[44] In 1977,Columbia Records released the albumTurn the World Around, with a strong focus onworld music.[45]
In 1978, he appeared as a guest star on an episode ofThe Muppet Show, on which he performed his signature song "Day-O".[46] However, the episode is best known for Belafonte's rendition of the spiritual song "Turn the World Around" from the album, which he performed with specially made Muppets that resembled African tribal masks.[47][48] It became one of the series' most famous performances and was reportedlyJim Henson's favorite episode.[citation needed] After Henson's death in May 1990, Belafonte was asked to perform the song at Henson's memorial service.[48][49] "Turn the World Around" was also included in the 2005 official hymnal supplement of theUnitarian Universalist Association,Singing the Journey.[50]
Belafonte released his first album of original material in over a decade,Paradise in Gazankulu, in 1988, which contained ten protest songs against the South AfricanApartheid policy, and was his last studio album.[52] In the same year Belafonte, asUNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, attended a symposium inHarare, Zimbabwe, to focus attention on child survival and development in Southern African countries. As part of the symposium, he performed a concert for UNICEF. AKodak video crew filmed the concert, which was released as a 60-minute concert video titledGlobal Carnival.[53]
Following a lengthy recording hiatus,An Evening with Harry Belafonte and Friends, a soundtrack and video of a televised concert, were released in 1997 byIsland Records.[54]The Long Road to Freedom: An Anthology of Black Music, a multi-artist project recorded by RCA during the 1960s and 1970s, was finally released by the label in 2001. Belafonte went on theToday Show to promote the album on September 11, 2001, and was interviewed byKatie Couric just minutes before the first plane hit theWorld Trade Center.[55] The album was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Awards for Best Boxed Recording Package, for Best Album Notes, and for Best Historical Album.[56]
On January 29, 2013, Belafonte was the keynote speaker and 2013 honoree for the MLK Celebration Series at theRhode Island School of Design. Belafonte used his career and experiences with King to speak on the role of artists as activists.[59]
Belafonte was inducted as an honorary member ofPhi Beta Sigma fraternity on January 11, 2014.[60]
In 2017, Belafonte releasedWhen Colors Come Together, an anthology of some of his earlier recordings, produced by his son David, who wrote lyrics for an updated version of "Island In The Sun", arranged by longtime Belafonte musical director Richard Cummings, and featuring Harry Belafonte's grandchildren Sarafina and Amadeus and a children's choir.[62]
Belafonte starred in numerous films. His first film role was inBright Road (1953), in which he supported female leadDorothy Dandridge.[63] The two subsequently starred inOtto Preminger's hit musicalCarmen Jones (1954). Ironically, Belafonte's singing in the film was dubbed by an opera singer, as was Dandridge's, both voices being deemed unsuitable for their roles.[18][63]
Dissatisfied with most of the film roles offered to him during the 1960s, Belafonte concentrated on music. In the early 1970s, Belafonte appeared in more films, among which are two with Poitier:Buck and the Preacher (1972) andUptown Saturday Night (1974).[68] In 1984, Belafonte produced and scored the musical filmBeat Street, dealing with the rise ofhip-hop culture.[69] Together withArthur Baker, he produced the gold-certified soundtrack ofthe same name.[70] Four of his songs appeared in the 1988 filmBeetlejuice, including "Day-O" and "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)".
Belafonte is said to have married politics and pop culture.[73] Belafonte's political beliefs were greatly inspired by the singer, actor, and civil rights activistPaul Robeson, who mentored him.[74] Robeson opposed not only racial prejudice in the United States but also westerncolonialism in Africa. Belafonte refused to perform in the American South from 1954 until 1961.[75]
Belafonte gave the keynote address at the ACLU of Northern California's annual Bill of Rights Day Celebration in December 2007 and was awarded the Chief JusticeEarl Warren Civil Liberties Award. The 2011Sundance Film Festival featured the documentary filmSing Your Song, a biographical film focusing on Belafonte's contribution to and his leadership in the civil rights movement in America and his endeavors to promote social justice globally.[76] In 2011, Belafonte's memoirMy Song was published byKnopf Books.[77]
During theMississippi Freedom Summer of 1964, Belafonte bankrolled theStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, flying toMississippi that August with Sidney Poitier and $60,000 in cash and entertaining crowds inGreenwood. In 1968, Belafonte appeared on aPetula Clark primetime television special onNBC. In the middle of a duet ofOn the Path of Glory, Clark smiled and briefly touched Belafonte's arm,[86] which prompted complaints from Doyle Lott, the advertising manager of the show's sponsor,Plymouth Motors.[87] Lott wanted to retape the segment,[88] but Clark, who had ownership of the special, told NBC that the performance would be shown intact or she would not allow it to be aired at all. Newspapers reported the controversy,[89][90] Lott was relieved of his responsibilities,[91] and when the special aired, it attracted high ratings.
Belafonte taped an appearance on an episode ofThe Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour to be aired on September 29, 1968, performing a controversialMardi Gras number intercut with footage from the1968 Democratic National Convention riots.CBS censors deleted the segment. The full unedited content was broadcast in 1993 as part of a completeSmothers Brothers Comedy Hour syndication package.[citation needed]
In the1960 election betweenJohn F. Kennedy andRichard Nixon, notable Black athleteJackie Robinson advocated his support for the Nixon campaign. His reasoning for doing so was his perception of Kennedy's championing of theCivil Rights movement as disingenuous.[92] Because of Robinson's social impact on Black Americans, theDemocratic Party was determined to find a comparable Black endorser for Kennedy's campaign.[93] Fresh off of his win as the first Black man to receive anEmmy Award for his work onTonight with Belafonte, Belafonte was Kennedy's pick to fill the endorsement position.[81]
The two met in Belafonte's apartment, where Kennedy had hoped to convince Belafonte to mobilize support for his campaign. He thought to accomplish this by having Belafonte mobilize his influence amongst other Black entertainers of the era, persuading them to rally for Kennedy's presidential nomination. Unexpectedly, Belafonte was not so impressed by the candidate, sharing the same sentiments as Robinson about Kennedy's role (or lack thereof) in maintaining civil rights as an essential part of his campaign. To improve his engagement with Black America, Belafonte suggested to Kennedy that he contactMartin Luther King, making a connection to a viable source of leadership within the movement. Kennedy, though, was hesitant with this suggestion, questioning the social impact the preacher could make on the campaign. After much convincing–as Kennedy and King would later meet in June 1960–the two men negotiated a deal that if Nixon became the nominee for theRepublican party, Belafonte would support Kennedy's presidential pursuits.[81] Belafonte's endorsement of the campaign was further substantiated after both Kennedy brothers had worked to bail King out of jail inAtlanta after a sit-in, engaging with aGeorgia judge.[93]
Renowned authorJames Baldwin contacted Belafonte three years after John F. Kennedy's election. The purpose of the call was to invite Belafonte to a meeting to speak withAttorney GeneralRobert Kennedy about the continued plight of the Black people in America. This event was known as theBaldwin-Kennedy Meeting. Belafonte met with fifteen others, including Kennedy and Baldwin, in Kennedy'sCentral Park South apartment on May 24, 1963.[93]
The guests engaged in cordial political and social conversation. Later, the talk led to an investigation of the position of Black people in theVietnam War. Offended by Kennedy's implication that Black men should serve in the war, Jerome Smith scolded the young Attorney General. Smith, a Black man and Civil Rights advocate had been severely beaten while fighting for the movement's cause, which enforced his strong resistance to Kennedy's assertion, frustrated that he should fight for a country that did not seem to want to fight for him.[93]
A short time after the confrontation, Belafonte spoke with Kennedy. Belafonte then told him that even with the meeting's tension, he needed to be in the presence of a man like Smith to understand Black people's frustration withpatriotism that Kennedy and other leaders could not understand.[93]
In the 1950s, Belafonte was a supporter of the African American Students Foundation, which gave a grant toBarack Obama Sr., the late father of 44th U.S. presidentBarack Obama, to study at theUniversity of Hawaii in 1959.[97]
In 2011, Belafonte commented on theObama administration and the role that popular opinion played in shaping its policies. "I think [Obama] plays the game that he plays because he sees no threat from evidencing concerns for the poor."[98]
On December 9, 2012, in an interview withAl Sharpton onMSNBC, Belafonte expressed dismay that many political leaders in the United States continue to oppose Obama's policies even after his reelection: "The only thing left for Barack Obama to do is to work like a third-world dictator and just put all of these guys in jail. You're violating the American desire."[99]
On February 1, 2013, Belafonte received theNAACP'sSpingarn Medal, and in the televised ceremony, he countedConstance L. Rice among those previous recipients of the award whom he regarded highly for speaking up "to remedy the ills of the nation."[100]
In 2016, Belafonte endorsed Vermont U.S. senatorBernie Sanders in theDemocratic primaries, saying: "I think he represents opportunity, I think he represents a moral imperative, I think he represents a certain kind of truth that's not often evidenced in the course of politics."[102]
In 1985, Belafonte helped organize theGrammy Award-winning song "We Are the World", a multi-artist effort to raise funds for Africa. He performed in theLive Aid concert that same year. In 1987, he received an appointment toUNICEF as agoodwill ambassador. Following his appointment, Belafonte traveled toDakar,Senegal, where he served as chairman of the International Symposium of Artists and Intellectuals for African Children. He also helped to raise funds—along with more than 20 other artists—in the largest concert ever held insub-Saharan Africa. In 1994, he embarked on a mission toRwanda and launched a media campaign to raise awareness of the needs of Rwandan children.[23]
On October 19, 2007, Belafonte representedUNICEF onNorwegian television to support the annual telethon (TV Aksjonen) and helped raise a world record of $10 per Norwegian citizen.[109]
Belafonte was a longtime critic ofU.S. foreign policy. He began making controversial political statements on the subject in the early 1980s. At various times, he made statements opposing the U.S. embargo onCuba; praising Soviet peace initiatives; attacking theU.S. invasion of Grenada; praising theAbraham Lincoln Brigade; honoringEthel and Julius Rosenberg; and praisingFidel Castro.[63][114] Belafonte is also known for his visit to Cuba that helped ensurehip-hop's place in Cuban society. According to Geoffrey Baker's article "Hip hop, Revolucion! Nationalizing Rap in Cuba", in 1999, Belafonte met with representatives of the rap community immediately before meeting with Castro. This meeting resulted in Castro's personal approval of, and hence the government's involvement in, the incorporation of rap into his country's culture.[115] In a 2003 interview, Belafonte reflected upon this meeting's influence:
"When I went back toHavana a couple years later, the people in the hip-hop community came to see me and we hung out for a bit. They thanked me profusely and I said, 'Why?' and they said, 'Because your little conversation with Fidel and the Minister of Culture on hip-hop led to there being a special division within the ministry and we've got our own studio.'."[116]
Belafonte achieved widespread attention for his political views in 2002 when he began making a series of comments about PresidentGeorge W. Bush, his administration and theIraq War. During an interview withTed Leitner forSan Diego's 760 KFMB, on October 10, 2002, Belafonte referred toMalcolm X.[119] Belafonte said:
There is an old saying, in the days ofslavery. There were those slaves who lived on the plantation, and there were thoseslaves who lived in the house. You got the privilege of living in the house if you served the master, do exactly the way the master intended to have you serve him. That gave you privilege.Colin Powell is permitted to come into the house of the master, as long as he would serve the master, according to the master's dictates. And when Colin Powell dares to suggest something other than what the master wants to hear, he will be turned back out to pasture. And you don't hear much from those who live in the pasture.[120]
Belafonte used the quotation to characterize formerUnited States Secretaries of State Colin Powell andCondoleezza Rice. Powell and Rice both responded, with Powell calling the remarks "unfortunate"[119] and Rice saying: "I don't need Harry Belafonte to tell me what it means to be black."[121]
Belafonte in 2003
The comment resurfaced in an interview withAmy Goodman forDemocracy Now! in 2006.[122] In January 2006, Belafonte led a delegation of activists including actorDanny Glover and activist/professorCornel West to meet withVenezuelan presidentHugo Chávez. In 2005, Chávez, an outspoken Bush critic, initiated a program to provide cheaperheating oil for poor people in several areas of the United States. Belafonte supported this initiative.[123] He was quoted as saying, during the meeting with Chávez: "No matter what the greatest tyrant in the world, the greatestterrorist in the world, George W. Bush says, we're here to tell you: Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of the American people support your revolution."[124] Belafonte and Glover met again with Chávez in 2006.[125] The comment ignited a great deal of controversy.Hillary Clinton refused to acknowledge Belafonte's presence at an awards ceremony that featured both of them.[126]AARP, which had just named him one of its 10 Impact Award honorees 2006, released this statement following the remarks: "AARP does not condone the manner and tone which he has chosen and finds his comments completely unacceptable."[127]
During aMartin Luther King Jr. Day speech atDuke University in 2006, Belafonte compared the American government to thehijackers of theSeptember 11 attacks, saying: "What is the difference between that terrorist and other terrorists?"[128] In response to criticism about his remarks, Belafonte asked: "What do you call Bush when the war he put us in to date has killed almost as many Americans as died on 9/11 and the number of Americans wounded in war is almost triple? ... By most definitions Bush can be considered a terrorist." When he was asked about his expectation of criticism for his remarks on the war in Iraq, Belafonte responded: "Bring it on.Dissent is central to any democracy."[129]
In another interview, Belafonte remarked that while his comments may have been "hasty", he felt that the Bush administration suffered from "arrogance wedded to ignorance" and its policies around the world were "morally bankrupt."[130] In a January 2006 speech to the annual meeting of the Arts Presenters Members Conference, Belafonte referred to "the newGestapo ofHomeland Security", saying: "You can be arrested and have noright to counsel!"[131] During a Martin Luther King Jr. Day speech atDuke University inDurham, North Carolina in January 2006, Belafonte said that if he could choose hisepitaph, it would read "Harry Belafonte, Patriot."[132]
Belafonte liked and often visited the Caribbean island ofBonaire.[133] He and Maurice Neme ofOranjestad, Aruba, formed a joint venture to create a luxuriousprivate community on Bonaire namedBelnem, a portmanteau of the two men's names. Construction began on June 3, 1966.[134] The neighborhood is managed by the Bel-Nem Caribbean Development Corporation. Belafonte and Neme served as its first directors.[135] In 2017, Belnem was home to 717 people.[136]
Second wife Julie Robinson in 1998Belafonte with third wife Pamela Frank in April 2011
Belafonte and Marguerite Byrd were married from 1948 to 1957. They had two daughters: Adrienne andShari. They separated when Byrd was pregnant with Shari.[73] Belafonte had an affair with actressJoan Collins during the filming ofIsland in the Sun.[137] Adrienne and her daughter Rachel Blue founded the Anir Foundation/Experience, focused on humanitarian work in southern Africa.[138]
On March 8, 1957, Belafonte married his second wifeJulie Robinson (1928–2024), a dancer with theKatherine Dunham Company who was ofJewish descent.[139] They had two children:Gina and David.[140] After 47 years of marriage,[141] Belafonte and Robinson divorced in 2004. In April 2008, he married Pamela Frank, a photographer.[142]
In 1953, Belafonte was financially able to move fromWashington Heights, Manhattan, "into a white neighborhood inEast Elmhurst, Queens."[143] In fall 1958, Belafonte was looking for an apartment to rent on theUpper West Side. After he had been turned away from other apartment buildings due to being black, he had his white publicist rent an apartment at 300West End Avenue for him. When he moved in, and the owner realized that he was an African American, he was asked to leave. Belafonte not only refused, but he also used three dummy real estate companies to buy the building and converted it into a co-op, inviting his friends, both white and black, to buy apartments. He lived in the 21-room, 6-bedroom apartment for 48 years.[144]
Belafonte had five grandchildren: Rachel and Brian through his children with Marguerite Byrd, and Maria, Sarafina and Amadeus through his children with Robinson. He had two great-grandchildren by his oldest grandson Brian. In October 1998, Belafonte contributed a letter toLiv Ullmann's bookLetter to My Grandchild.[145]
In 1996, Belafonte was diagnosed withprostate cancer and was treated for the disease. He suffered a stroke in 2004, which took away his inner-ear balance. From 2019, Belafonte's health began to decline, but he remained an active and prominent figure in the civil rights movement.[citation needed]
Belafonte died fromcongestive heart failure at his home on the Upper West Side on April 25, 2023, at the age of 96.[11]
Belafonte celebrated his 93rd birthday on March 1, 2020, at Harlem'sApollo Theater in a tribute event that concluded "with a thunderous audience singalong" with rapperDoug E. Fresh to 1956's "Banana Boat Song". Soon after, the New York Public Library'sSchomburg Center for Research in Black Culture announced it had acquired Belafonte's vast personal archive of "photographs, recordings, films, letters, artwork, clipping albums," and other content.[193]
^abSmith, Judith E (2014). "Multimedia Stardom and the Struggle for Racial Equality, 1955-1960".Becoming Belafonte: Black Artist, Public Radical (1st ed.). Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. pp. 110–175.ISBN978-0-292-76733-1.
^abcdRoss, Steven J (2011). "Politics in Black and White: Harry Belafonte".Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics. USA: Oxford University Press. pp. 185–226.
^Henderson Paul L, A. Scott; Thomas, Paul L.; Reese, Charles (2014). "8. James Baldwin: Artist as Activist and the Baldwin/Kennedy Secret Summit of 1963".James Baldwin: Challenging Authors. Vol. 5 (1st ed.). Rotterdam: Birkhäuser Boston. pp. 121–136.ISBN9789462096172.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
^Bloom, Nate (November 17, 2011)."Jewish Stars 11/18".Cleveland Jewish News.His second wife, dancer Julie Robinson, to whom he was married from 1958–2004, is Jewish. They had a daughter Gina, 50, and a son David, 54
^CastArchived August 1, 2020, at theWayback Machine (Harry Belafonte and the Belafonte Singers; Johnny Carson; Martha Raye).The Steve Allen Show Season 4 Episode 9.
SNCC Digital Gateway: Harry Belafonte, Documentary website created by the SNCC Legacy Project and Duke University, telling the story of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee & grassroots organizing from the inside out
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