Miriam makeba et harry belafonte biography

Miriam Makeba’s story is incredible, and can’t be adequately summed up in a few-hundred-word blog post. But here goes.

Born in 1932 in South Africa, Miriam Makeba was the daughter of a teacher and a maid. The young couple struggled to get by, and Miriam’s mother brewed beer as a way to make some extra money. It was illegal for black South Africans to brew (or even drink) beer, and Miriam’s mother was arrested when Miriam was barely two weeks old: she spent most of the first six months of her life in prison.

Her formative years were spent living with her grandmother, under whose care she was exposed to all kinds of music, from traditional Swazi and Xhosa songs to the jazz of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. Eventally, she joined a group called the Manhattan Brothers, who performed a mix of South African and Afro-American music.

She crossed over into film as well, starring in a 1959 anti-apartheid movie called Come Back, Africa. She flew to Italy to accept an award for her role in the film, and upon trying to return, she discovered that the South African government had cancelled her passport, essentially exiling her.

Ironically, the exile only brought her music – and her message – to a wider audience. Connecting with Harry Belafonte, already a star in the US and elsewhere, Makeba began a prodigious solo career that put Xhosa music into western ears that probably would never have heard her if not for her exile. She performed at John F. Kennedy’s birthday. She collaborated with Paul Simon. And her duet record with Harry Belafonte, the record from which this song is taken, makes her the first South African to win a Grammy.

Her career outlasted the white South African government; the government that had imprisoned her mother during the first months of Miriam’s life, and which had barred her from returning to her homeland. In 1990, the country’s new leader, and fresh out of prison himself, Nelson Mandela extended a long-overdue return ticket, and her count

American singer and actor (1927–2023)

"Belafonte" redirects here. For his album, see Belafonte (album). For other uses, see Belafonte (disambiguation).

Harry Belafonte (BEL-ə-FON-tee; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte's career breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.

Belafonte was best known for his recordings of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)", "Jamaica Farewell", and "Mary's Boy Child". He recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. He also starred in films such as Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), Buck and the Preacher (1972), and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). He made his final feature film appearance in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman (2018).

Belafonte considered the actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson to be a mentor. Belafonte was also a close confidan

South African singer and activist (1932–2008)

Zenzile Miriam Makeba (mə-KAY-bə,Xhosa:[máˈkʼêːɓà̤]; 4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.

Born in Johannesburg to Swazi and Xhosa parents, Makeba was forced to find employment as a child after the death of her father. She had a brief and allegedly abusive first marriage at the age of 17, gave birth to her only child in 1950, and survived breast cancer. Her vocal talent had been recognized when she was a child, and she began singing professionally in the 1950s, with the Cuban Brothers, the Manhattan Brothers, and an all-woman group, the Skylarks, performing a mixture of jazz, traditional African melodies, and Western popular music. In 1959, Makeba had a brief role in the anti-apartheid film Come Back, Africa, which brought her international attention, and led to her performing in Venice, London, and New York City. In London, she met the American singer Harry Belafonte, who became a mentor and colleague. She moved to New York City, where she became immediately popular, and recorded her first solo album in 1960. Her attempt to return to South Africa that year for her mother's funeral was prevented by the country's government.

Makeba's career flourished in the United States, and she released several albums and songs, her most popular being "Pata Pata" (1967). Along with Belafonte, she received a Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording for their 1965 album An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba. She testified against the South African government at the United Nations and became involved in the civil rights movement. She married Stokely Carmichael, a leader of the Black Panther Party, in 1968, and consequently l

1927-2023

Who Was Harry Belafonte?

Harry Belafonte struggled with poverty and turbulent family life as a child. His professional career took off with the musical Carmen Jones, and soon, he was burning up the charts with hits like “The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)” and “Jump in the Line.” Belafonte also championed many social and political causes and earned prestigious accolades such as the National Medal of Arts, one Tony Award, one Emmy Award, and two Grammy Awards. He died April 25, 2023 at age 96.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Harold George Belafonte Jr.
BORN: March 1, 1927
DIED: April 25, 2023
BIRTHPLACE: New York, New York
SPOUSES: Marguerite Byrd (1948-1957), Julie Robinson (1957-2004), and Pamela Frank (2008-2023)
CHILDREN: Adrienne, Shari, Gina, and David
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Pisces

Early Life

Harold George Belafonte Jr. was born on March 1, 1927, in New York City to Caribbean immigrants. His mother worked as a dressmaker and a house cleaner, and his father served as a cook on merchant ships, before leaving the family when Belafonte was a young boy.

Belafonte also spent much of his early years in Jamaica, his mother’s native country. There, he saw firsthand the oppression of Black people by the English authorities, which left a lasting impression on him.

Belafonte returned to New York City’s Harlem neighborhood in 1940 to live with his mother. They struggled in poverty, and Belafonte was often cared for by others while his mother worked. “The most difficult time in my life was when I was a kid,” he later told People magazine. “My mother gave me affection, but because I was left on my own, also a lot of anguish.”

Early Career

Dropping out of high school, Belafonte enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944. He returned to New York City after his discharge and was working as a janitor’s assistant when he first attended a production at the American Negro Theater (AMT). Mesmerized by the performance, the young Navy vet volunteered to work for th