Mar 30
No Belafonte, no global stage for reggae.
A signed copy of Calypso by Harry Belafonte, part of Roger Steffens’ collection.
Released in 1956, Calypso became the first album to sell over 1 million copies, introducing Caribbean music to a global audience. Long before reggae emerged, Belafonte helped bring the sounds of the Caribbean into the mainstream.
Beyond music, Belafonte was a major figure in the U.S. civil rights movement, working closely with Martin Luther King Jr. and supporting global struggles against colonialism and injustice. That same spirit of resistance and social awareness would later define roots reggae.
From calypso to reggae, the connection is not just musical, it’s political.
