The Life & Legacy of a True Trailblazer

THE SINGER AND ACTOR BROKE BARRIERS IN HOLLYWOOD AND BEYOND WITH HIS COMMITMENT ΤΟ THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

- RACHEL DESANTIS

It’s hard to believe there was a time when Harry Belafonte’s record label thought a calypso album wouldn’t sell. But as he did all his life, Belafonte— then a young pop and folk musician—refused to take no for an answer. Determined to bridge the gap between his Caribbean roots and an American audience, Belafonte did just that in 1956 when he released his genre-defining LP Calypso. Bolstered by his ubiquitous anthem “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song),” which remains one of the most recognizable hits in modern music history, Belafonte became the first solo artist to move 1 million album copies.