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Jennifer Warnes – vocals on "Skin to Skin" Bobby Allende – background vocals; Jake Holmes – background vocals; Ralph Irizarry – background vocals; Selina Khoza – background vocals; Brenda Fassie – background vocals; Sharon Brooks – background vocals; John Cartwright – background vocals; Jean Madubane – background vocals
- The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
- Matilda
- Man Smart
- Haiti Cherie
- Jump in The Line
- Midnight Special
- The Last Time I Saw Her
- Suzanne
- New York Taxi
- Skin to Skin
While trying to make it as an actor in New York, Belafonte was noticed for his voice and was asked to try out singing. This led to him performing on stage with Max Roach and Charlie Parkerand this stunning jazz recording with the Zoot Sims Quintet, giving a totally different take on what became a hit for Bobby Vee more than a decade later.
Yes, Belafonte’s first single was a calypso song, but this had been originally recorded by King Radio, a Trinidadian calypsonian, popular in the 1930s. Belafonte rose to fame on a wave of US interest in this new sound that he generated himself – audiences were enthralled by his puckish storytelling style.
Belafonte’s version of calypso was so popular that his album Calypso eclipsed even Elvis as the most popular record of the year in 1956 (Shane Vogel’s book Stolen Time: Black Fad Performance and the Calypso Craze covers these heady days). Day-O and Jamaica Farewell are classics, but Man Smart (Woman Smarter) is the real keeper – like Matilda, it wa...
From the album Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean, this is a song written by Belafonte and Irving Burgie, who taking on the sobriquet Lord Burgess, wrote Day-O from Belafonte’s first album and the majority of the songs on this record. Belafonte’s soft voice floats over the rhythm like the gentle breeze of which he sings.
This began as a song by Trinidadian calypso legend Lord Kitchener, and has been recorded over the years by a range of people, notably Jamaican mento musician Lord Fleawho also leaned into calypso as it was becoming popular in the US. Flea’s energetic rendition laid the groundwork for Belafonte’s monster hit from 1961, the recording that popularised...
This folky, country, bluesy, bouncy early 20th-century classic standard from an album of the same name was part of Belafonte’s attempt to not be pigeonholed as solely a calypso artist. There have been numerous versions of Midnight Special, but the full, round tone of Belafonte’s voice makes this one close to perfect. And on the harmonica? A 20-year...
Belafonte knows how to make a song his own, and this cover of Canadian Gordon Lightfoot’s 1968 song is an ideal example – the orchestral accompaniment swells as Belafonte exemplifies longing. This wasn’t the only time that he chose a Lightfoot composition: he also tried his hand at Oh Linda and You’ll Still Be Needing Me After I’m Gone, among other...
Belafonte recorded other folk music such as This Land Is Your Land and songs by Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, and in this live rendition of Leonard Cohen’s classic love song, Belafonte’s voice dovetails beautifully with the ethereal guitar of Sivuca.
Even after Belafonte proved he could sing just about anything, he would still return to calypso. This buoyant song about public transportation woes was courtesy of calypsonian Fitzroy Alexander AKA Lord Melody. Belafonte had performed some of Lord Melody’s songs earlier in his career, such as Mama Look a Boo Boo, and Melody then worked and toured w...
Alongside Jennifer Warnes, this duet is from Belafonte’s last studio album Paradise in Gazankulu, an album that took a stand against the apartheid regime in South Africa, but didn’t draw too much attention upon release. This slow-burning ballad demonstrates yet another side of Belafonte, this time a strong, unyielding voice that pairs well with War...
- Erin Macleod
Featuring Jennifer Warnes. Producers Hilton Rosenthal. Writers Alistair Coakley, Godfrey Nelson, Jake Holmes & 4 more. Bass Guitar Denny Lalouette. Copyright © EMI-Manhattan Records.
2005 — Europe. CD —. Album. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1988 CD release of "Paradise In Gazankulu" on Discogs.
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Paradise In Gazankulu # 4:27: A3: Skin To Skin # (duet w. Jennifer Warnes) 4:25: A4: Amandla # 4:05: A5: Kwela # (Listen To The Man) 4:00: B1: Monday To Monday # 4:14: B2: Global Carnival # 3:43: B3: Capetown # 3:58: B4: Sisiwami (Sweet Sister) # 4:49: B5: Move It # 4:57
Jan 27, 2007 · Paradise in Gazankulu. Harry Belafonte Format: Audio CD. 30. $815. Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime. FREE Returns. See all 9 formats and editions. Streaming. Unlimited MP3. $9.49. Listen with our. Free App. Audio CD. $8.15 16 Used from $1.98 1 New from $1.99. Vinyl. $30.01 3 Used from $7.25 4 New from $30.01 2 Collectible from $45.98.
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Feb 9, 2007 · 2. Paradise In Gazankulu A cynical portrayal of life under someone else's thumb. 3. Skin To Skin (duet w. Jennifer Warnes) A love song. 4. Amandla Sounds like a simple song of longing for unfound love, until you realize that Amadla is Xhosa for power. 5. Kwela (Listen To The Man) Sarcastic humor with a popping, uptempo feel 6. Monday To Monday
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