Harry Belafonte died on April 25th, 2023, in New York at the age of 96. The American artist has had several careers at the same time. Trained actor, singer, “king of calypso”, and even a civil rights activist.
It was enough that he was offered two tickets to see the American Negro Theater for Harry Belafonte, still a young man, to fall in love with comedy. His drama classes alongside Marlon Brando or Sidney Poitier lead him to Broadway. Where he even gets a Tony Award for his first performance in John Murray Anderson’s Almanac. To pay for his lessons, he performs in clubs. It was therefore with the theater that his musical career began.
“Calypso King”
Born in Harlem, New York on March 1, 1927, the son of a Jamaican housekeeper and a ship’s cook, it was on this Caribbean island that he spent most of his childhood. And no doubt there that he drew inspiration for what was to become his trademark: the “calypso”.
In the 1950s, America discovered this Afro-Caribbean style, a mixture of African rhythms and European music. The artist, who also excels in folk and blues music, signs with the RCA Victor label. The collaboration will be long and fruitful.