The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #164 Message #3159276
Posted By: Q (Frank Staplin)
23-May-11 - 02:45 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Banana Boat Song / Day-O (Lord Burgess)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Banana Boat Song (Harry Belafonte)
banana! me no spell so good.
First sung by Edric Connor, 1952; "Day de Light." (Not heard). Based on Jamaican folk song (not heard).
Irving Burgie (Lord Burgess) sang this on an old Angel LP (52222). First written 1952, these are from his 1956 version. He used the verses:
Work all night on a drink of rum
Come Mister Talleyman, tally me banana,
Six *hand, seven hand, eight hand, *bunch,
* Belefonte sang foot
*large bunch, more than nine hands of fruit
Also a late recording on his cds, "Island in the Sun," and "Father of Modern Calypso," as "Day-O" (I will listen to it later).
Does any one have the early versions?