Harry Belafonte
May 07, 2023
Of course, 96 years is a good long life. But somehow, I wasn’t prepared for the death of Harry Belafonte. I think I wore out my “long playing” record of “Calypso” (1956). But Belafonte was so much more than our introduction to music of the Caribbean.
He was a supreme entertainer (Calypso was the first million-selling album by a single artist) and a tireless activist. Not to mention, extremely good looking.
In the summer of 1958, in Florence, Italy, my friend Joanie and I were in a small ice cream parlor when Harry Belafonte himself walked in. He turned to us and said, “Oh typical American girls having to have their ice cream.” It was a definite highlight of the trip.
The other night, thanks to YouTube, I listened to all of my Belafonte favorites. I sang at the top of my lungs.
Fortunately, I live alone.
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