Back in Greenwich Village in the Big Apple back in the late 1950's, there was a bar/dive on Minetta Lane called "Johnny Romero's." The great thing about that place was that its jukebox contained nothing but Harry Belafonte songs.
Thanks for responding and elucidating, Duff. Yep; that example definitely counts as controversial. Looks like my Hill and Gulley Rider has ridden over the hills and far away along the shores of time and the Caribbean--leaving me to drift on through the fading dusk among the echoes of his pleas to be taken back to Lucy's door and his paean to Marianne in the sand. Still, it's somehow good to know a little more about Belafonte's "ever after" journeys--and heartening to hear he's still alive, and still making waves. . . somewhere.
Well, Belafonte has been politically active for many years, fighting racial prejudice, supporting children in Africa and the like. He opposed the George W. Bush administration (as did I), but he went so far as to meet with Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez in 2006, telling him, "No matter what the greatest tyrant in the world, the greatest terrorist in the world, George W. Bush says, we're here to tell you: Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of the American people... support your revolution."
When I was in the fourth and fifth grades. Harry Belafonte became my first wild celebrity crush. I thought I was really embracing avant garde high art when I turned off my light every night, hugged my pillow, and tuned into a Belafonte calypso album or "Scarlet Ribbons." So, to pursue Duff's comment, what's been happening to Belafonte's political views over the past fifty years or so??
Yes! My grandmother had Jamaican Farewell (and The Banana Boat "Day-O" song) on an album, and they were my introduction to Harry Belafonte. In recent years, he has espoused some controversial political views... but as a singer, he's one of the best!
How can you not listen to Harry Belafonte, his voice is soooooo sexy. I Love the Jamaica Farwell Song he sings. It goes something like this:
Down the way, where the lights are gay; And the sun shines daily on the Mountain Top. I took a trip on a sailing ship, and when I reached Jamaica I made a stop. But I'm sad to say I'm on my way, won't be back for many aday. My heart is down; my head is turning around I had to leave alittle girl in Kingston town.
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That's what I mean by "controversial."
Amberlands
Down the way, where the lights are gay; And the sun shines daily on the Mountain Top. I took a trip on a sailing ship, and when I reached Jamaica I made a stop. But I'm sad to say I'm on my way, won't be back for many aday. My heart is down; my head is turning around I had to leave alittle girl in Kingston town.
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