Harry Belafonte Dead at 96

Harry Belafonte, the Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, actor, and activist whose music helped bring Caribbean music to a global audience and whose humanitarian efforts changed the world, has died. He was 96 years old.

Representatives of the musician confirmed in a press release that Belafonte died “of congestive heart failure at his home in New York at the age of 96, from his wife Pamela” on Tuesday morning. [Frank] on his side.”

Last year, the “Jump in the Line” artist was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Impact category. He was the oldest person to join the organization.

The singer celebrated her 94th birthday in one of her recent charity events in March 2021 with a star-studded virtual party that raised money for The Gathering for Justice, a social justice organization she founded in 2005. Common, Danny Glover, Chuck D, Bernie and Jane Sanders, Stacey Abrams, Aloe Blacc, Tamika D. Mallory, Rev. It features guest appearances from entertainers and religious and political leaders like Al Sharpton and Jackie Cruz.

Born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. on March 1, 1927, in Harlem, New York, Belafonte spent his youth shuffling between the city and his mother’s hometown of Jamaica (his father was from Martinique and had two White grandparents).

“My mom took us there to escape the oppression and pain of New York,” he said. Scottish “He took us there because it’s easier to raise children in the village than on the streets of New York.”

After a brief stint in the Navy, he befriended Paul Robeson, who would later become his mentor, and began his recording career in 1949 after working on the New York City club scene.

Although he started out as a jazz artist and then a pop singer, he began performing folk music in 1950 and soon rose to prominence, according to a 1996 study. New Yorker article.

Following the release of her debut album in 1954, Belafonte brought her talents to the big screen, breaking down racial barriers with critically acclaimed hits. carmen jonesStarring Dorothy Dandridge. He also won a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway musical. Almanac.

Although his marriage to his first wife, Margurite, was falling apart at the time (“I found show business shallow and wrong,” he said. New Yorker), Belafonte was on the cusp of a breakthrough.

released in 1956 Calypsopeaking Billboard topped the charts and sold over 1 million copies, earning him the nickname “King of Calypso”.

The album featured timeless hits such as “Day-O (Banana Boat Song)”, a traditional Jamaican folk song that would later become Belafonte’s signature track. Belafonte’s version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.

In 2019, Belafonte told the Library of Congress that he was turned away from “everyone” at the time because he wanted to record an album of calypso songs.

“They thought it was an insult to many great calypso artists that I did that,” he said. “Somehow I invaded. But that story was in my back pocket. I grew up in the Caribbean and Jamaica and I thought it was a good idea… Well, the officials at RCA didn’t. They said it wouldn’t have an audience. It wasn’t a recognized breed at the time.”

About “Day-O,” Belafonte said he believes the song’s enduring popularity comes from the contagiousness of its melody.

“When I played, I always invited participation and the audience always happily attended,” he said. “It became a regular part of my routine. Even on the street I was seeing people and saying ‘Hey, ‘Day-O’!” they were shouting. I took it as a badge of honour.”

Alongside her musical achievements, Belafonte continued her screen career and won an Emmy in 1960 for her outstanding performance on a variety or music show. Revlon Revue: Tonight with Belafonte. This honor made him the first Black person to win an Emmy. Hollywood Reporter. Belafonte’s popularity grew at that time, and To look magazine declared him “one of America’s most admired entertainers today”, [and] The first black matinee idol in our entertainment history” New Yorker.

Belafonte was also known for his activism, advocating for civil rights and other political and humanitarian causes over the years, such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the USA for Africa. In 1968, when he took over the host duties, he became the first Black person to host a late-night TV show. Tonight Show In the midst of national civil rights protests, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy.

Belafonte was once the 24-year-old King at the time. “You know, I don’t know all of this… I don’t know where this is going. All I know is that I have to go with it… I finally said it.” I have no idea where this is going either, but I will stay on this path no matter what.”

King’s assassination in 1968 “immobilized physically, emotionally and psychologically,” he said. Scottish.

The accolades that Belafonte has accumulated over the years are innumerable; She became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1987 and received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton in 1994 she. In 2000 he was awarded the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and two years later, Bishop John T. Walker’s Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award from Africare for his efforts in helping Africa. He’s been recognized by everyone from the NAACP and ACLU to the Peace Corps and Boy Scouts of America. Advocating for prostate cancer since 2006, she was diagnosed and eventually beat the disease. Additionally, the American Association of Retirees (AARP) named Belafonte one of nine recipients of its 2006 Impact Award.

“There’s a line in one of my father’s songs that says ‘A secret soldier with pieces in him,’ and that’s how I see him,” his daughter Adrienne said. New Yorker in 1996. “She wants to fix the world and is sad to see it slip away. I believe she feels lonely.”

Belafonte also received honorary degrees from several institutions of higher learning, including Spelman College, City University of New York, Tufts University, Brandeis University, Long Island University, Bard College and Columbia University, from which he received a Doctor of Humane Letters.

“This last period of my life is absolutely fascinating to me,” he said. New York Times in 2017. “I’m out, looking at a story, and I have no idea what’s on the next page – I don’t.”

He married his third wife, photographer Pamela Frank, in 2008, and is survived by children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, David Belafonte and Gina Belafonte, and two stepchildren Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank. He also has eight grandchildren: Rachel Blue Biesemeyer, Brian Biesemeyer, Maria Belafonte McCray, Sarafina Belafonte, Amadeus Belafonte, Mateo Frank, Olive Scanga and Zoe Frank.