Mary's Boy Child - Harry Belafonte - MP3 instrumental karaoke

"Mary's Boy Child" is a Christmas song written by Jester Hairston and performed by Harry Belafonte. When asked to write a song for a birthday party attended by mainly West Indians, American composer Jester Hairston came up with a calypso rhythm originally titled "He Pone and Chocolate Tea." A few years later, he reutilized the song's melody when he was tasked with writing a new Christmas song for Walter Schumann to sing with his choir. However, the lyrics were changed to tell the story of Jesus' birth according to the Bible. After hearing the song being performed live, Jamaican-American pop star Harry Belafonte asked for permission to record it in the studio. Released in December 1956, Harry Belafonte's version of "Mary's Boy Child" reached the top of the UK charts and became the first UK Number 1 to have a playing time of over four minutes. A different, longer take also made its way to his 1957 album An Evening with Harry Belafonte. Since then, it has become one of the most popular Christmas songs worldwide and has been covered by artists such as Boney M., Andy Williams, and The Bee Gees.