Harry Belafonte was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist, who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte's career breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.
Lord Melody was a popular Trinidadian calypsonian, best known for singles such as "Boo Boo Man", "Creature From The Black Lagoon", "Shame & Scandal", "Jonah and the Bake", "Juanita", and "Rastaman Be Careful". Melody's career spanned forty years, from the beginnings of popular calypso music to his embrace of the more dance oriented Soca style by the late 1970s.
"Hava Nagila" is a Jewish folk song. It is traditionally sung at celebrations, such as weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvas, and other festivities among the Jewish community. Written in 1918, it quickly spread through the Jewish diaspora.
Calypso is the third studio album by recording artist Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor (LPM-1248) in 1956. The album became his second consecutive number-one album on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, where it peaked for 31 weeks. Calypso was the first Long Play record album to sell over one million copies.
The Midnight Special is a 1962 album by Jamaican-American singer, Harry Belafonte. The album notably contains the first officially-released recording by Bob Dylan, who plays harmonica on the title track. For many years the Belafonte session was thought to have been Bob Dylan’s first professional recording, simply because this RCA Victor album was released first. However, documentation found in 2001 in the RCA vaults along with the tapes dates the session definitively as having been recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, in February 1962. This places it later than Bob's recording session with folksinger Carolyn Hester, which dates from September 1961, also in New York City, although her album was not released until later in 1962.
"Darlin' Cory" is a well-known American folk song about love, loss, and moonshine. It is similar in theme to "Little Maggie" and "The Gambling Man" but is not considered the same as those songs.
To Wish You a Merry Christmas is an album by Harry Belafonte Recorded May 27, 31, June 1, 3 and 8 of 1958 in Hollywood. Conducted by Bob Corman. Millard Thomas and Laurindo Almeida, guitarists. Produced and directed by Ed Welker.
Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall is a live double album by Harry Belafonte. It is the second of two Belafonte Carnegie Hall albums, and was recorded May 2, 1960. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Pop albums charts.
Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean is an album by Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor (LPM-1505) in 1957.
G.I. Blues is the third soundtrack album and seventh (overall) album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2256, in October 1960. It is the soundtrack to the 1960 film of the same name in which he starred. Recording sessions took place on April 27 and 28, and May 6, 1960, at RCA Victor Studio C and Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California. The album topped the Billboard Top Pop Album chart. It was certified gold on March 13, 1963 and platinum on March 27, 1992 by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album remained at the #1 spot for ten weeks.
Calypso in Brass is an album by Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor in 1966. The album contains new arrangements of previously recorded songs, notably from Calypso and Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean, with a brass ensemble accompaniment. The orchestra was conducted by Howard A. Roberts and arranged by Bob Freedman.
"Matilda" is a calypso song. Some songwriting credits are given as Harry Thomas, some credits are given as Norman Span.
An Evening with Belafonte is a studio album by Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor in 1957.
Irving Louis Burgie, sometimes known professionally as Lord Burgess, was an American musician and songwriter, regarded as one of the greatest composers of Caribbean music. He composed 34 songs for Harry Belafonte, including eight of the 11 songs on the Belafonte album Calypso (1956), the first album of any kind to sell one million copies. Burgie also wrote the lyrics of the National Anthem of Barbados. To date, songs penned by Irving Burgie have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
The Essential Harry Belafonte is a two-disc compilation recording by Harry Belafonte, released in 2005 on the Legacy label. The 37 tracks span Belafonte's career from 1952 to 1977, including his RCA Victor and Columbia Records releases. All selections for inclusion were made by Belafonte himself.
Love Is a Gentle Thing is an album by Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor in 1959. It was recorded with arranger / conductors Alan Greene and Bob Corman.
Belafonte is the second studio album by American recording artist Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor in late 1955. The album was the first number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, topping the chart for six weeks before being knocked out of the top spot by Elvis Presley's self-titled debut album, also issued by RCA Victor.
Belafonte Concert in Japan is a live album by Harry Belafonte, released in 1974. The album was Belafonte's final release for RCA Records, concluding a 21-year association with the label.
Belafonte '89 is a live album by Harry Belafonte, released in 1989. A truncated version of the album was released in the U.S., featuring only 10 out of 15 tracks. The international CD release was also truncated, featuring 13 tracks. It was also released in Germany as Stationen in 1990, and 1993. The CD release of Stationen from 1990 contains all 15 tracks.
An Evening with Harry Belafonte and Friends is a live album by Harry Belafonte, released in 1997. The album is the soundtrack of a concert, televised by PBS in March 1997. It was also released as a concert video. In 2003 the concert video was also released on DVD.
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