This is the album that made
Harry Belafonte
's career. Up to this point,
calypso
had only been a part of
Belafonte
's focus in his recordings of
folk
music styles. But with this landmark album,
not only became tattooed to
permanently; it had a revolutionary effect on
music in the 1950s and '60s. The album consists of songs from Trinidad, mostly written by West Indian songwriter
Irving Burgie
(aka
Lord Burgess
).
Burgie
's two most successful songs are included --
"Day O"
and
"Jamaica Farewell"
(which were both hit singles for
) -- as are the evocative
ballads
"I Do Adore Her"
"Come Back Liza"
and what could be the first feminist
song,
"Man Smart (Woman Smarter)."
Calypso
became the first million-selling album by a single artist, spending an incredible 31 weeks at the top of the
Billboard
album charts, remaining on the charts for 99 weeks. It triggered a veritable tidal wave of imitators, parodists, and artists wishing to capitalize on its success. Years later, it remains a record of inestimable influence, inspiring many folksingers and groups to perform, most notably
the Kingston Trio
, which was named for the Jamaican capital. For a decade, just about every folksinger and
group featured in their repertoire at least one song that was of West Indian origin or one that had a
beat. They all can be attributed to this one remarkable album. Despite the success of
,
refused to be typecast. Resisting the impulse to record an immediate follow-up album,
instead spaced his
albums apart, releasing them at five-year intervals in 1961, 1966, and 1971. ~ Cary Ginell