The Belafonte Folk Singers (originally known as The Belafonte Singers) were a vocal group who were active from 1957 to 1965. They were named after singer Harry Belafonte, for whom they originally formed in order to serve as a backing group for recording and concerts. The group was mostly led and conducted by Robert De Cormier, also billed as Bob Corman. Milt Okun sometimes conducted the group as well.
The Belafonte Folk Singers usually consisted of 11-12 singers and musicians at one time, all male. Its members were mostly African American, although the group did included some white members. The group had a high turnover, and around 40 singers were a part of the group at one time or another during its eight-year existence. Garrett Morris performed with the group early in his career.
The group released three of their own albums for RCA Victor, and sang backup on five albums by Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba.
Members of The Belafonte Folk Singers included Earl Baker, Kenneth Bates, Harry Bessinger, Laurence Bogue, Ray Boguslav, Charles Coleman, Tim Conn, Joseph Crawford, Leslie Dorsey, James Eby, Jack Eddleman, Ken Emery, Cortez Franklin, Andrew Frierson, Scott Gibson, Joli Gonsalves, George Goodman, Milton Grayson, Bob Harter, Tom Head, Robert Henson, James Herald, Noah Hopkins, Garrett Morris, John Nielsen, Milt Okun, Richard Pindle, Walter Raim, Earl Rogers, Glenn Rowen, Charles H. Scott Jr., Sherman Sneed, Arman Stephanian, Billy Stewart, Millard Thomas, Roy Thompson, Paul Westbrook, John Wheeler, Arthur Williams and Ned Wright.
Harry Belafonte is an American singer, songwriter, activist, and actor. One of the most successful Jamaican American pop stars in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Trinidadian Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. His breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. Belafonte is known for his recording of "The Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". He has recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. He has also starred in several films, including Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), and Odds Against Tomorrow (1959).
The 3rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on April 13, 1961, at Los Angeles and New York. They recognized musical accomplishments by the performers for the year 1960. Ray Charles won four awards and Bob Newhart and Henry Mancini each won three awards.
The 4th Annual Grammy Awards were held on May 29, 1962, at Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1961. Henry Mancini won 5 awards.
The 8th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 15, 1966, at Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1965. Roger Miller topped off the Grammys by winning 5 awards, whereas Herb Alpert and Frank Sinatra each won 4 awards.
Zenzile Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, United Nations goodwill ambassador, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer-songwriter who has had a music career spanning more than fifty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He is noteworthy as a music educator as well as an advocate for folk singers to combine traditional songs with new compositions.
Milton Theodore Okun was an American arranger, record producer, conductor, singer and founder of Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. Okun transformed the careers of a dozen or more major U.S. artists who under Okun's tutelage became some of the most successful musical acts of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. A special on PBS alludes to Okun as one of the most influential music producers in history. His career lasted over 50 years, from the folk revival to the twenty-first century.
Ralph Anthony MacDonald was a Trinbagonian-American percussionist, songwriter, musical arranger, record producer, steelpan virtuoso and philanthropist.
Letta Mbulu is a South African jazz singer who has been active since the 1960s.
Robert Romeo De Cormier Jr. sometimes known as Bob Corman, was an American musical conductor, arranger, and director. He arranged music for many singers and groups, including Harry Belafonte and Peter, Paul and Mary, and worked with Milt Okun.
Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid 20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from traditional folk music. This process and period is called the (second) folk revival and reached a zenith in the 1960s. The most common name for this new form of music is also "folk music", but is often called "contemporary folk music" or "folk revival music" to make the distinction. The transition was somewhat centered in the US and is also called the American folk music revival. Fusion genres such as folk rock and others also evolved within this phenomenon. While contemporary folk music is a genre generally distinct from traditional folk music, it often shares the same English name, performers and venues as traditional folk music; even individual songs may be a blend of the two.
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 #3 on the Billboard Pop albums charts.
Swing Dat Hammer is an album by Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-2194) in 1960. It is a collection of chain gang work songs. The last cut is a collection of workmen conversations.
An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba is a Grammy Award-winning 1965 album by Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba, released by RCA Victor. It was the second outcome of the long lasting collaboration between Belafonte and Makeba, the first being the appearance of Makeba in the song "One More Dance" on Belafonte's 1960 album, Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall.
Miriam Makeba is a self-titled, debut album by Miriam Makeba. It was released in 1960 by RCA Victor.
My Lord What a Mornin' is an album of spirituals sung by Harry Belafonte and released by RCA Victor in 1960. The album was reissued in 1995 with additional bonus tracks.
Welcome Duru (1933–2009) was a South African actor, boxing promoter, composer, musician, politician and a socialite, also known as Bra Wel.
The Phoenix Singers were a trio of male African-American folk singers active in the early 1960s. The members Ned Wright, Arthur Williams, and Roy Thompson were all former members of The Belafonte Folk Singers.
This is a discography of South African musician Miriam Makeba (1953-2008).
"One More Dance" is a song written by C. C. Carter. It is a satirical song about cynical lovers. It was first recorded by South African singer Miriam Makeba with Charles Colman for her debut album Miriam Makeba (1960). Makeba performed the song live with American singer Harry Belafonte at Carnegie Hall in 1960. Their duet was released on his album Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall (1960). Israeli folk duo Esther & Abi Ofarim recorded popular renditions of the song in different languages.
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