DAY-O

[Hiraeth]

[Jack Rabbit]

1. K/R

Thank you, Hiraeth.

My sister, who would be 74 if she were still with us, was a big Harry Belafonte fan.

[Hiraeth]

2. so good to see him on stage with Bernie at The Apollo.

Harold George "Harry" Bellanfanti, Jr. (born March 1, 1927), better known as Harry Belafonte, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and social activist. One of the most successful Caribbean American pop stars in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. His breakthrough album Calypso (1956) is the first million selling album by a single artist.[1] Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing "The Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". He has recorded in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. He has also starred in several films, most notably in Otto Preminger's hit musical Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957) and Robert Wise's Odds Against Tomorrow (1959).

Belafonte was an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and '60s, and one of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s confidants. Throughout his career he has been an advocate for political and humanitarian causes, such as the anti-apartheid movement and USA for Africa. Since 1987 he has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In recent years he has been a vocal critic of the policies of both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama presidential administrations. Harry Belafonte now acts as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues.[2]

Belafonte has 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] In March 2014, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in Boston.

more at link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Belafonte

[appalachiablue]

3. Wonderful singer and activist. Thanks.

[Hiraeth]

4. my pleasure

[joanbarnes]

5. A Hero of Mine!

[Hiraeth]

6. yes.

silly how I impressed I was that Harry endorsed Bernie. Endorsements usually don't matter to me.

[colorado_ufo]

7. I was in the third grade

in a white, very poor, Louisiana school. Repairs were being done to the ancient gym (which also served as the lunch room) adjacent to my small classroom, into which maybe 40 plus students were jammed. My dear teacher, Mrs. Centenni, suddenly stopped the class and made us all be very still and listen. From the gym came the sound of a worker singing, "Day-O." Mrs. Centenni remarked about how wonderfully he could sing, and how much he sounded like Harry Belafonte, and how beautiful the music was.

Respect, and appreciation, of the arts and of an unknown man who never knew he had an enraptured audience. He is still unknown, but he is remembered.

Respect and appreciation, taught by many teachers, taught by many parents, in the south, also.

[Hiraeth]

8. Thank you for sharing that

[JDPriestly]

9. Such a rich, melodious voice. Love it.

I can't think of a popular singer today with a voice like that. Maybe there is one, but I don't know about him. Just beautiful.

[Hiraeth]

10. musicality and a class act. So glad he is part of the Bernie team