Harry Belafonte Bio (Biography)
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Biography
Harry Belafonte is an African-American musician and award winning actor who is best know for his signature lyric "Day-O" from "The Banana Boat Song. His is of Jamaican ancestry.
Harry Belafonte was born in New York on March 1, 1927 and as a small child lived with his mother in Jamaica, her native country. This early Caribbean influence greatly influenced his life and music. Harry Belafonte is one of the most successful Jamaican musicians in history. In the 1950s he was nicknamed the King of Calypso for his popular Caribbean style of music. He returned to New York to attend high school and soon after graduation joined the Navy and served in World War II.
After retiring from the Navy, Harry Belafonte began taking acting classes and began performing with the American Negro Theatre. He was signed to the Jubilee record label in 1949. His interest in folk music began with a trip to the Library of Congress. This combined with his Jamaican roots helped him create a unique sound in the 1950s and he was soon signed to the larger RCA Victor record label. His 1956 release Calypso was the first album to sell one million copies. The album spent 31 weeks at the number one slot and 58 weeks in the top ten. He continued to record and release music into the 1970s. His 1960 album Swing That Hammer and 1965 album An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba won Grammy Awards. He has also been awarded six gold records.
His television specials include the Emmy award winning Tonight with Belafontein 1959. This was the first time an African-America man was given an Emmy Award. His stage performance were also award winning, earning him a Tony Award. In 1989, Harry Belafonte received the Kennedy Center Honors and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2000, he won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Harry Belafonte was also a favorite at the movie box office. He starred in Bright Road with Dorothy Dandridge in 1953 and in the 1953 musical Carmen Jones. Film roles continued to come in the 1950s, but he gave up film acting in the 1960s to focus on his music. In 1984 he produced and scored the musical Beat Street. He returned to the big screen in 1995 with a role in White Man's Burden and in the 1996 release Kansas City.
Harry Belafonte is also a political activist. Because of racial tensions in the American South during much of his early career, he refused to perform there from 1954 through 1961. In 1960 he became a cultural advisor to the Peace Corps. In 1985 he was on of the organizers for the We Are The World musical project to raise money for Africa. He performed in the Live Aid concert that year as well. In 1987, he was appointed to be a UNICEF good will ambassador. In more recent years he has traveled the world in support of campaigns against HIV/AIDS and in support of education issues. Because of his global work, he was awarded the BET Humanitarian Award in 2006, and was one of nine 2006 Impact Award Recipients by AARP The Magazine.
In 1996, Harry Belafonte was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was successfully treated for the disease.
Harry Belafonte was born in New York on March 1, 1927 and as a small child lived with his mother in Jamaica, her native country. This early Caribbean influence greatly influenced his life and music. Harry Belafonte is one of the most successful Jamaican musicians in history. In the 1950s he was nicknamed the King of Calypso for his popular Caribbean style of music. He returned to New York to attend high school and soon after graduation joined the Navy and served in World War II.
After retiring from the Navy, Harry Belafonte began taking acting classes and began performing with the American Negro Theatre. He was signed to the Jubilee record label in 1949. His interest in folk music began with a trip to the Library of Congress. This combined with his Jamaican roots helped him create a unique sound in the 1950s and he was soon signed to the larger RCA Victor record label. His 1956 release Calypso was the first album to sell one million copies. The album spent 31 weeks at the number one slot and 58 weeks in the top ten. He continued to record and release music into the 1970s. His 1960 album Swing That Hammer and 1965 album An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba won Grammy Awards. He has also been awarded six gold records.
His television specials include the Emmy award winning Tonight with Belafontein 1959. This was the first time an African-America man was given an Emmy Award. His stage performance were also award winning, earning him a Tony Award. In 1989, Harry Belafonte received the Kennedy Center Honors and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2000, he won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Harry Belafonte was also a favorite at the movie box office. He starred in Bright Road with Dorothy Dandridge in 1953 and in the 1953 musical Carmen Jones. Film roles continued to come in the 1950s, but he gave up film acting in the 1960s to focus on his music. In 1984 he produced and scored the musical Beat Street. He returned to the big screen in 1995 with a role in White Man's Burden and in the 1996 release Kansas City.
Harry Belafonte is also a political activist. Because of racial tensions in the American South during much of his early career, he refused to perform there from 1954 through 1961. In 1960 he became a cultural advisor to the Peace Corps. In 1985 he was on of the organizers for the We Are The World musical project to raise money for Africa. He performed in the Live Aid concert that year as well. In 1987, he was appointed to be a UNICEF good will ambassador. In more recent years he has traveled the world in support of campaigns against HIV/AIDS and in support of education issues. Because of his global work, he was awarded the BET Humanitarian Award in 2006, and was one of nine 2006 Impact Award Recipients by AARP The Magazine.
In 1996, Harry Belafonte was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was successfully treated for the disease.