THE LEGACY OF NEW YORK EPISODE 73: HARRY BELAFONTE


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Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor and activist, who popularized ⁠calypso music⁠ with international audiences in the 1950s. Belafonte is one of the few performers to have received an ⁠Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT)⁠, although he won the ⁠Oscar⁠ in a non-competitive category. He earned his career breakthrough with the album ⁠Calypso⁠ (1956), which was the first million-selling ⁠LP⁠ by a single artist.⁠[1]⁠
Belafonte was best known for his recordings of "⁠Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)⁠", "⁠Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)⁠", "⁠Jamaica Farewell⁠", and "⁠Mary's Boy Child⁠". He recorded and performed in many genres, including ⁠blues⁠, ⁠folk⁠, ⁠gospel⁠, ⁠show tunes⁠, and ⁠American standards⁠. He also starred in films such as ⁠Carmen Jones⁠ (1954), ⁠Island in the Sun⁠ (1957), ⁠Odds Against Tomorrow⁠ (1959), ⁠Buck and the Preacher⁠ (1972), and ⁠Uptown Saturday Night⁠ (1974). He made his final screen appearance in ⁠Spike Lee⁠'s ⁠BlacKkKlansman⁠ (2018).
Belafonte considered the actor, singer, and activist ⁠Paul Robeson⁠ a mentor, and he was a close confidant of ⁠Martin Luther King Jr.⁠ during the ⁠Civil Rights Movement⁠ of the 1950s and 1960s. He was a vocal critic of the policies of the ⁠George W. Bush⁠ and ⁠Donald Trump⁠ administrations. Belafonte acted as the ⁠American Civil Liberties Union⁠ celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues.⁠[2]⁠
Belafonte won three ⁠Grammy Awards⁠ (including a ⁠Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award⁠), an ⁠Emmy Award⁠,⁠[3]⁠ and a ⁠Tony Award⁠. In 1989, he received the ⁠Kennedy Center Honors⁠. He was awarded the ⁠National Medal of Arts⁠ in 1994. In 2014, he received the ⁠Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award⁠ at the Academy's ⁠6th Annual Governors Awards⁠⁠[4]⁠ and in 2022 was inducted into the ⁠Rock and Roll Hall of Fame⁠ in the Early Influence category.⁠[5]⁠




PICTURE: By Carl Van Vechten - Van Vechten Collection at Library of Congress, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=146385
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