Singer, actor, and activist Harry Belafonte with his "Jamaica Farewell" launched the calypso sound in American popular music and through his performances popularized folk songs of the world to American audiences. As an actor, Belafonte tore down walls of discrimination for other minority actors, and as an activist, profoundly influenced by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he fought for the civil rights of Africans and African Americans for decades. A popular matinee idol since the 1950s, Belafonte achieved his greatest popularity as a singer. His "Banana Boat (Day-O)" shot to number five on the Billboard pop singles chart in 1957. His Calypso album released in 1956 was certified gold in 1963 and the 1959 album Belafonte at Carnegie Hall certified gold in 1961. Belafonte was the first African American television producer and the first African American to win an Emmy Award.

Harry Belafonte

Born on March 1, 1927, in...