Arriving late to the launch party of the 2001 Jamaica Film and Music Festival for actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, I nervously climbed out of the elevator and entered one of those fancy parties in New York, hoping to see someone I recognized. And I did: in front of me was Harry Belafonte, his dazzling smile twinkling, the movie star. When he noticed me there on my own, he took a step back and extended his arm. I slid through his place, and with the whole place watching (Yay, me!), the handsome star escorted me down a clear spiral staircase to the ballroom. Then he kissed me on the cheeks and walked out.
To this day, I have no idea if Belafonte recognized me a week ago, when he stopped by Sirius Studios. I recorded Calypso King reading tracks for channels playing his music—classics including 1956’s “Day-O (Banana Boat Song)”, 1957’s “Island in the Sun” and “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora).” Before he left, he satiated me by reading one last line in his authentic Jamaican accent, which he rarely uses in public.
Although Belafonte was born in Harlem, he was raised in Kingston, his parents’ hometown. Both my parents were Jamaican born and raised. My dad played Belafonte music on a CD player as he prepared me for pre-kindergarten. These are among my earliest memories, and now I realize I am on fire musically, infinitely connected to his music. I feel proud to have seen two distinct sides of Harry Belafonte: the gentleman who was the first black sex symbol, and the realist man of his people.
Belafonte is also one of the first of the many black hyphens; After rising to fame as a pioneering singer-songwriter (his 1956 album “Calypso” was the first to sell a million records in pop music history), he ventured into acting and human rights activism. In paving the way for future music activists, he worked not only with prominent blacks of the civil rights era (he was a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr.), but also with those white people who came to define rock music and activism in the 1980s: Bob Geldof, Bono, Sting, and Bruce Springsteen. . (The latter was in the hall when the USA All Stars Choir erupted in “Day-O” as a tribute to arranger Belafonte during the “We Are the World” recording session.)
Then there are Belafonte’s subsequent acting performances, in films like Robert Altman’s “Kansas City” and Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” where he’s almost musical in delivery, a stunning culmination of his two artistic giants sides.
For all of these reasons and more, not only does Belafonte deserve to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence, but the Rock Hall itself rose through his inclusion. Congratulations, Mr. Belafonte! In the best of my island, I salute you: “God bless“
Pat McKay can be heard SiriusXM Knuckle.
This article is part of a series – in partnership with the talent of SiriusXM On Air – to honor the performers who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 5 in Los Angeles. Watch the entire Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2022 introductory party on HBO November 19, 8 p.m. ET, along with simulcasting on SiriusXM’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Radio (Channel 310). SiriusXM listeners can also catch live behind-the-scenes coverage and comment on Volume on the SXM app and on Faction Talk (Channel 103).
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