Today the world lost a Caribbean legend with the passing of Harry Belafonte. He was a Jamaican American who was a singer, actor and activist. In 1956 he became a household name, making calypso music popular worldwide with his breakthrough album Calypso.
He was known for the songs “The Banana Boat Song,” with its signature “Day-O” lyric, “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora),” “Jamaica Farewell,” and “Mary’s Boy Child.” He was the artist to sell a million records.
He was an actor who also starred in several films, including Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), and Odds Against Tomorrow (1959).
Belafonte was an activist who advocated for many political and humanitarian causes. He was a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
He was a three-time Grammy Award winner (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award winner, and a Tony Award award winner.
REST IN PEACE TO A SON OF THE CARIBBEAN
