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 find out more and scroll down to watch the trailer.

This tribute to Belafonte, featuring writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan, is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.

Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. All of those stories and these tributes include links to the featured songs.

You can listen to Sheldon tell Belafonte's story on the WGCU website, where he posts once a week, or hear today's featured song, “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.)

If you want to learn 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" features "Day-O" on the cover.

Audio engineer Mike Villegas (who’s also a musician) and I are publishing all 44 tributes in the coming weeks. Hope you enjoy them.

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to the show!

Available in podcast directories including Apple, Spotify and Audible, and on YouTube.