Burgie studied at the Juilliard School of Music, University of Arizona and University of Southern California. Army battalion in World War II and used GI Bill funds to pay for music studies. Burgie’s classic Caribbean standards include such familiar hits as “Island in the Sun,” “Angelina,” and he was co-writer of “Mary’s Boy Child.” He also wrote the 1963 off-Broadway musical “Ballad for Bimshire” that starred Ossie Davis. Others who have sung his songs include Mantovani, Miriam Makeba and Julio Iglesias. His “Jamaica Farewell” has been recorded by Belafonte, Jimmy Buffett, Carly Simon and others. Burgie also penned songs for the Kingston Trio (“The Seine,” “El Matador,” and “The Wanderer”) and for other groups. Many were recorded by Belafonte, including eight of the 11 songs on Belafonte’s 1956 album, “Calypso,” the first album to sell over 1 million copies in the U.S. Lil’ Wayne used a sample of “Day-O” in his “6 Foot 7 Foot.”Īccording to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Burgie’s songs have sold over 100 million records throughout the world. When a superstar list of music royalty gathered to film the “We Are the World” video in 1985, most burst into a playful version of “Day-O” in between takes. “Day-O” was also the wake-up call for the astronauts on two Space Shuttle missions in the 1990s. “Day-O,” written in 1952, has been ubiquitous, appearing in everything from the film and Broadway musical “Beetlejuice” to an E-Trade commercial. But it is an undeniable fact that were it not for Belafonte’s music and the money his celebrity brought him, the civil rights movement could not have succeeded the way that it did.NEW YORK - Composer Irving Burgie, who helped popularize Caribbean music and co-wrote the enduring Harry Belafonte hit “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song),” has died at the age of 95.Īt the Barbados Independence Day Parade on Saturday, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced Burgie died Friday.
Some find it hard to believe that the jazzy upbeat singer of "Jump In The Line" and "Day-O" is actually a militant, no-nonsense freedom fighter. Before the 2008 presidential election, where he endorsed Barack Obama, he hosted a forum for the Congressional Black Caucus where, with both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton present, he publiclly critized the Democratic Party for ignoring the needs of black voters.Įverything mentioned in this article is only a fraction of what Belafonte has done and continues to do.
Belafonte also organized controversial trips to Cuba and Venezuela where other celebrities, like Danny Glover, had an audience with people like Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. He works closely with the American Civil Liberties Union, he campaigned for Bernie Sanders in both his runs for president and was a harsh critic of the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George W. Here is how Harry Belafonte helped Martin Luther King and became a quintessential part of American history.ĭespite his advanced age of 94, Belafonte continues to fight for his beliefs. He maintained a close friendship and working relationship with revolutionary civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. It might surprise some fans of his lighted-hearted music to learn that Belafonte was instrumental in the fight for black lives and civil rights. He was also one of the few black Americans to find mainstream success in an era that was rife with intense racism. The song made Harry Belafonte’s career and using its success as a jumping off point, he would go on to record several other calypso classics like “Jump In The Line” and “Coconut Woman.” Belafonte was instrumental in the popularization of calypso music in the United States and became one of the most popular entertainers in America. Related: Selena Gomez Speaks Out Against The Misrepresentation of Martin Luther King The song recently has also become a viral sound on TikTok. Children of the 80s and 90s will undoubtedly recognize the song from a famous scene in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. Since its release in 1957, his version of the song has graced radio performances, television shows, and several films. “Day-O,” also known as “The Banana Boat Song” is a classic Jamaican folk song that later became one of calypso singer Harry Belafonte’s signature tracks.
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