HARRY BELAFONTE | 94

Harry Belafonte is one of the most successful pop stars in history. Born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr., the singer had a housekeeper mother and a chef father. His parents were both Jamaican, and they carried their culture with them as they raised him. Obviously proud of his heritage, Harold makes it a point to inflect tinges of Jamaica in his musical work. He was named the King of Calypso during his time for making the Caribbean musical style famous all over the world in the 1950s. In fact, his breakthrough album, Calypso, which was released in 1956, was the first million-selling LP by a single artist at the time.

He is best known for The Banana Boat Song, credits to his signature lyrics Day-O. Aside from that, he also sang and recorded many genres, and it was all equally successful. Harry also appeared in movies, like the hit musical Carmen Jones, Island in the Sun, and Odds Against Tomorrow. He then retired from performing in 2017.