In 1968, singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte hosted "The Tonight Show" for a week. He discussed the issues of the day with a stellar list of guests including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The documentary about that week is called "The Sit-In," available on Peacock. Here, you can learn more about it and scroll down to watch the trailer.
If you want to know more about Belafonte, you can buy his 2012 memoir, "My Song," in paperback or audiobook. It's available on Amazon , which also has quite a few of Belafonte's CDs and a couple of vinyl records. The LP "Best of Harry Belafonte" includes this tribute's featured song, "Day-O," on the cover. There's also a biography of Belafonte on The HistoryMakers® site.
Writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan wrote and recorded this tribute to Belafonte. It's one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. In the chapters, you can go right to Sheldon's tribute by skipping my intro; feel free to skip my closing remarks too. Both are there to provide context for those who haven't listened to the other tributes.
Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. You can listen to Sheldon tell Belafonte's story on the WGCU website, where he posts once a week, or hear “Day-O,” on YouTube. And to get on Sheldon’s Song of the Day subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
Audio engineer/musician Mike Villegas edited all the audio for this series. Hope you enjoy these intriguing glimpses into the lives of the people who made some of the music we love.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Spotify and Audible.