Tribute to Harry Belafonte, featuring Sheldon Zoldan

In 1968, singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte hosted "The Tonight Show" for a week. He discussed the issues of the day with a stellar list of guests including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The documentary about that week is called "The Sit-In," available on Peacock. Here, you can find out more and scroll down to watch the trailer.

This tribute to Belafonte, featuring writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan, is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.

Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. All of those stories and these tributes include links to the featured songs.

You can listen to Sheldon tell Belafonte's story on the WGCU website, where he posts once a week, or hear today's featured song, “Day-O,”  on YouTube. (And to get on Sheldon’s Song of the Day subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.)

If you want to learn more about Belafonte, you can buy his 2012 memoir, "My Song," in paperback or audiobook. It's available on Amazon , which also has quite a few of Belafonte's CDs and a couple of vinyl records. The LP "Best of Harry Belafonte" features "Day-O" on the cover.

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to the show!

Available on Apple, Spotify, Audible and in other directories, and on YouTube.

Transcript

Kate:
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Hello and welcome to Everyday Creation,

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a show about living our purpose and lifting

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our vibes for ourselves and the world.

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I'm Kate Jones, here with a tribute to

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Harry Belafonte,

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who is known and respected

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for his civil rights activism

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as much as for his singing and acting.

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This is one of 44 short yet illuminating

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episodes about significant figures in the music industry

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who passed away in 2023.

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My guest Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and

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newspaper editor, wrote these tributes and recorded them.

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Here's what he says about Belafonte,

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who died on April 25th

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last year.

Sheldon:
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Harry Belafonte acted.

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Harry Belafonte sang.

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But Belafonte was more than an entertainer.

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Two stories tell how important he was to

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the civil rights

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movement. Belafonte

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died April 25th

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in New York City

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of congestive heart failure.

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He was

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96.

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Belafonte grew up in poverty,

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first in Jamaica

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and then Harlem.

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He decided he wanted to become an actor

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after watching plays at the American Negro Theatre.

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He spent the 1950s

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building his singing and acting careers.

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He spent time in the 1960s

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singing,

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acting

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and fighting for civil rights.

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In the 1960s

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when Johnny Carson hosted "The Tonight Show " and would

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go on vacation,

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he'd have a guest host.

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Belafonte took that role during a week in

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February 1968.

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He was the first African American

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to host a late night show.

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His guest list was varied. It included politicians,

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civil rights leaders, actors,

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singers and comedians.

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Many were Black.

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Many of the discussions were about the issues

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of the day.

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The week was a ratings success.

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You can watch the documentary

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about the week on Peacock.

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It's called "The Sit In."

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The second story took place in 1968

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when singer Petula Clark touched Belafonte's

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arm while they were singing on her television

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special.

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Such a simple gesture created a firestorm.

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First,

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Doyle

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Lott, the advertising manager for the Plymouth division

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of Chrysler,

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sponsor of the show, didn't want a Black

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man as guest.

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Then came the touch.

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Black stormed out of the taping demanding the

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song be reshot.

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NBC backed the director

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and it ran with the touch.

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Our Song of the Day,

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"Day-O,"

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came off Belafonte's

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album "Calypso"

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in 1956.

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The album popularized

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Calypso.

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"Day-O," a Jamaican folk song, became his signature

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song. It reached number 5 on the Billboard

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Hot 100.

Kate:
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This is Kate again.

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Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a

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music-related story sent daily to an email

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list of subscribers.

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All of those stories and these tributes

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include links to the featured songs.

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In this episode's description,

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you can link to "Day-O"

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on the WGCU

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website,

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where Sheldon posts once a week, or hear

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the song on YouTube.

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In the description, you also can get information 
on how to join Sheldon’s subscriber list. 

If you enjoyed this tribute, please check out the next one about Gordon Lightfoot, 

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 the Canadian singer-songwriter

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who had his first U.S. hit in 1970

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with "If You Could Read My Mind."

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Please share the tributes with anyone who might

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appreciate

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these well-researched glimpses into the lives of

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the people who created some of the music

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we love.

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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.