Betty Volenec
I am very proud to have been a back-up singer for Harry Belafonte. I had the great privilege of performing with him on world tours as well as in recording studios and on television. I will share some of my memories from the perspective of a performer and friend.
No matter where we performed in the world, Harry thrilled audiences at every concert, never short-changing them in our eight shows a week for many months at a time. Even on our rigorous two-show days, he gave his all. He deeply respected each and every audience.
In non-English speaking countries he learned key phrases to speak in the local language, for which he earned even more audience love and respect. Japan was the only country where he tucked a small piece of paper in his pocket with difficult phonetic phrases on it to pull out and read at appropriate times during the show. They were thrilled merely at his attempt to speak their language. Amazingly, in spite of not speaking English they sang along to “Day-O” in perfect English!
During one memorable theater performance, there was a power outage. Suddenly, the theater became dark. We had no amplification (no microphones, electric instruments, or sound monitors) – only very dim emergency house lights and stage lights which automatically engaged. Other artists in similar situations understandably leave the stage until the issue is resolved. But not Harry. He was so devoted to his audience, he stayed on stage, lowered himself to the stage floor and began doing push-ups, continuing to entertain to raucous laughter, thunderous applause and cheers in dim light until the power was restored.
Harry was a perfectionist in the best sense. We continued to rehearse throughout the tours: tweaking songs already in the show or experimenting with new songs – some of which made it into our shows and some that never saw the light of stage, despite how much it was rehearsed and tweaked. If a song did not absolutely meet his very high standard, it was never added into the performance.
His on-stage charm, humor and playfulness matched the delightful character we knew and loved off stage. Our joyful life on the road mirrored our immense joy of performing with him. My cherished friendship with him continued throughout the rest of his life.
I am deeply moved - often to tears - reading the many heart-felt messages written in the comments section of Harry’s YouTube videos from people throughout the world, of different ages and backgrounds, in different (translatable) languages expressing their love for him with memories or observations and how he profoundly affected their lives. Some are melancholy, some humorous. Some are long, some one word. And some simply use an expressive emoji to relay their feeling. I am immensely proud of having been a part of Harry’s life and performing family and I am grateful for the opportunity of reading memories of him on this website, as well as contributing my own.
Recently, Belafonte alumni back-up singers and band members were invited to perform in “A Concert for World Peace” with a special tribute to Harry. It was enormously moving and gratifying, and we are very proud and honored to continue Harry’s legacy in song.
Harry often ended our shows on a serious parting note, saying he was grateful to the audience for their love. He went on to profess his love of performing, adding, “I may not be the best at it, but it’s what I do best.” Harry, you ARE the best at it, and it is just one of the many things you did best.
~ Betty, New York, July 2025.