His following spans generations and he is a major draw on the concert circuit. He was the first recipient of the Nelson Mandela Courage Award. Part of the reason for doing a Belafonte page is that there isn't one out there. Nothing wrong with that at all, of course. But there is so much more to this man than just one 50's era novelty hit, I thought it was time somebody talked about it.
Facts speak for themselves.
Belafonte never claimed to be a folk performer in the manner of Leadbelly. He cut his performing teeth on supper-club ballads and musical theater, and never made any attempts to hide this. Instead, he adapted the traditional music he loved into his own idiom, and did so successfully. His commitment to civil rights is a matter of record. Things were not easy at home.