Originally Published on Feb. 16, 2017
The Song of the Day is:
Harry Belafonte – “Jump in the Line (Shake Señora)”
From the album Jump Up Calypso (1961)
To a certain crowd, this just the music from the movie Beetlejuice. To other crowds it’s the music of one of calypso’s greatest singers. To a whole other crowd this is the music which helped to enable a popular entertainer to become a civil rights activist. Belafonte became the Peace Corps cultural advisor under President Kennedy, was a trusted adviser and financier to Dr. King, and funded the 1961 Freedom Riders. Politics aside though, he crafted an infectious groove with this song that never fails to lighten moods.