Born in Harlem to Jamaican immigrants, singer/actor Harry Belafonte helped introduce the music of Kingston and the Caribbean to New York clubs and the American pop charts. Before Belafonte released his version of the folk tune “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” in 1956, the now-familiar song was unknown outside the islands. Other similarly flavoured singles proved so popular that he was crowned the King of Calypso. But Belafonte was incredibly versatile, filling albums over his long career with gospel, blues, pop and show tunes, all sweetened by his honeyed tenor. He died in April 2023 at the age of 96.