Calypso

VINYL FORMAT. Originally released in 1956, Belafonte's third album was the first full-length gramophone LPs to sell over one million copies, topping the charts for thirty-one weeks on the strength of hits like 'Jamaica Farewell' and the immortal 'Banana Boat (Day-O)'. Mostly consisting of music written by the Trinidadian songwriter Lord Burgess, Calypso had an incredible impact on popular music of the '50s and '60s, bringing Caribbean rhythms to a wider audience and making Belafonte one of the most successful Caribbean-American pop stars in history. An absolute landmark in '50s American pop culture.