Ake Holm
This is an excerpt from a book prepared for Mr. B's 95th birthday in early 2022,
filled with wishes from friends from around the world
I got my first Belafonte record in 1958 at the age of 10. After that I bought all new records and played them over and over again. When I first heard ”Green Grow The Lilacs” at the age of 12, I found the song so beautiful that I got tears in my eyes.
The first concert I attended was in Stockholm on October 21, 1976. I wasn’t aware of the concert until the very same day and I rushed to get two tickets. It was sold out (of course) but they had two seats on the ground floor just below the stage so guess I was lucky. After that, I attended every concert in Stockholm. Sometimes there were two consecutive concerts, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, and I attended both of course.
I have many memorable moments. One of them was in Turku, Finland in 1995. I had the seat just below the stage and after the last song you said ”You’ve been a wonderful audience and I look forward to seeing you again”. And you looked straight at me and added ”In the near future”. You knew that I was going to the next concert in Sweden. We returned to Sweden on the same SAS-flight and I had the opportunity to speak with you at Arlanda airport.
In 1998 I traveled in Europe for 16 of the 48 concerts. .
Another memorable moment was in 2003 at the Globe Arena in Stockholm. My friend Britt and I had been given the opportunity to listen in (alone) at the rehearsal. While we sat there the janitor came in and asked why we were there when you said from the stage ”They are my guests”. After the rehearsal, you spent 10 minutes with us, and when I humbly asked if you had seen my discography you replied ”My secretary and I have found that it is the best documentation of my musical career”.
That concert in 2003 was the 34th Belafonte concert I attended.
Thank you Harry for all the things you and your music have enriched my life with, and also because you have opened my eyes and ears to artists like Miriam Makeba, Odetta, Chad Mitchell Trio, Letta Mbulu and Gordon Lightfoot, just to name a few. And of course for all the humanitarian work you have been engaged in over the years.
~ Ake, Sweden, Early 2022.