Editing Harry Belafonte (section)

=== Early years (1949–1955) ===
Belafonte started his career in music as a club singer in New York to pay for his acting classes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chad |date=October 25, 2019 |title=Harry Belafonte |url=https://walkoffame.com/harry-belafonte/ |access-date=April 25, 2023 |website=Hollywood Walk of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref> The first time he appeared in front of an audience, he was backed by the Charlie Parker band, which included [[Charlie Parker]], [[Max Roach]], and [[Miles Davis]], among others.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Myers |first=Marc |date=February 15, 2017 |title=Jazz news: Harry Belafonte: 1949 |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/news/harry-belafonte-1949/ |access-date=April 25, 2023 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |language=en}}</ref> He launched his recording career as a pop singer on the Roost label in 1949, but quickly developed a keen interest in [[folk music]], learning material through the [[Library of Congress]]' American folk songs archives. Along with guitarist and friend Millard Thomas, Belafonte soon made his debut at the jazz club [[The Village Vanguard]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Iconic Voices of Black History – Harry Belafonte |website=VocaliD |url=https://vocalid.ai/iconic-voices-of-black-history-harry-belafonte/ |access-date=April 25, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1953, he signed a contract with [[RCA Victor]], recording exclusively for the label until 1974.<ref name="nbc-25apr2023">{{Cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Alex |last2=Dasrath |first2=Diana |title=Harry Belafonte, calypso star and civil rights champion, dies at 96 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/harry-belafonte-calypso-star-civil-rights-champion-dies-96-rcna42389 | date=April 25, 2023 |access-date=April 25, 2023 |work=[[NBC News]] |language=en}}</ref> Belafonte also performed during the [[Rat Pack]] era in [[Las Vegas]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Singer-activist Harry Belafonte dies at 96 due to heart failure |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/hollywood/singer-activist-harry-belafonte-dies-at-96-due-to-heart-failure|date=April 25, 2023 |access-date=April 25, 2023 |website=Free Press Journal |language=en}}</ref> Belafonte's first widely [[art release|released]] single, which went on to become his "signature" audience participation song in virtually all his live performances, was "[[Matilda (calypso song)|Matilda]]", recorded April 27, 1953.<ref name="nbc-25apr2023" /> Between 1953 and 1954, he was a cast member of the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] [[Revue|musical revue]] and [[sketch comedy]] show ''[[John Murray Anderson's Almanac]]'' where he sang "[[Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites|Mark Twain]]",<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://playbill.com/production/john-murray-andersons-almanac-imperial-theatre-vault-0000006060|title=John Murray Anderson's Almanac (Broadway, Imperial Theatre, 1953) |magazine=[[Playbill (magazine)|Playbill]]}}</ref> of which he was also the songwriter.{{Cn|date=August 2024}}