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Released in 1956, Harry Belafonte’s third album Calypso propelled this Caribbean musical style into the mainstream and became the first longplaying record to sell over 1 million copies. With hits such as The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) and Island in the Sun, written for the film of the same name in which he starred, the singer became a headline act in the US. Yet, as The Guardian reported, he “found himself unable to use the main entrance to the Las Vegas hotels where he regularly performed”; an injustice that saw him become a passionate civil rights campaigner, which he continued to be throughout his life.