Harry Belafonte grew up in New York, where he was hit by a car as a child. His mother, Melvine, made one of the most far-reaching decisions of the 20th century, sending young Harry away to Jamaica, where she believed he would be safer.
There, he soaked up Caribbean music, for which, a few years later, Harry would almost single-handedly ignite a global craze. When he returned to New York, Harry was determined to become a stage actor, who paid for acting classes by singing in folk clubs and night spots. The singing took over, and Harry’s first album, Calypso, topped the Billboard chart for 31 weeks on release in 1956. Harry emerged just before Elvis Presley, and Calypso was said to be the first album by a single artist to sell more than a million copies.
Harry Belafonte enjoyed life-long success as a recording artist and concert performer. He was a big star on film and TV when America was still a deeply segregated place. Inevitably, he knocked down racial barriers, became a leading figure in the civil rights movement, and he challenged his country, and the world, to be a better place.
Harry died in April. He was 96.
Listen to the Harry Belafonte story.
