The Ed Sullivan Show, June 28, 2021
Harry Belafonte "The Baby Boy" on The Ed Sullivan Show, April 22, 1962
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of a choir singing the Trinidadian Christmas song "The Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy" as well as a video of Harry Belafonte singing that song in 1962 on the nationally syndicated American television series "the Ed Sullivan show".
Information about that song and lyrics for that song are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer of that song and thanks to Trinidadian singer and collector Edric Conner, who collected this song in 1942 from James Bryce. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the choir and to Harry Belafonte who are featured in these embedded videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/12/black-christmas-songs-about-naming.html for a 2012 pancocojams post entitled "African American Christmas Songs About Naming Jesus (videos & lyrics). Another YouTube video of "The Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy" is included in that post along with videos and lyrics of other Christmas songs.
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In response to a question asked in 2018 about where and when this video was made, a commenter wrote in 2021 that is was filmed at the Hackney Empire in East London. I assume that it was filmed the same year that it was published on YouTube.
Here's some information about the Hackney Empire from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackney_Empire
"Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by The Guardian as "the most beautiful theatre in London"[1] it is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation".
[composer unknown, collected in Trinidad in 1942]
| The virgin Mary had a baby boy, The virgin Mary had a baby boy, The virgin Mary had a baby boy, And they say that his name was Jesus He come from the glory, He come from the glorious kingdom, He come from the glory, He come from the glorious kingdom, Oh yes, believer! Oh yes, believer! He come from the glory, He come from the glorious kingdom The angels sang when the baby born The angels sang when the baby born The angels sang when the baby born And proclaim him the Savior Jesus Chorus The wise men went where the baby born, The wise men went where the baby born, The wise men went where the baby born, And they say that his name was Jesus Chorus (the soloist could improvise further verses, e.g., "The shepherds came when the baby born," "They left their gifts where the baby born," etc.) From the Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols Source: The Edric Connor Collection of West Indian Spirituals (1945) Connor explains: ‘This, the only West Indian Negro carol I found, was taught me by James Bryce, whose parents and grandparents were in Trinidad before the abolition of slavery in 1834. I met Bryce in 1942, when he was ninety-four years of age, but he was still working, in rags, on a grapefruit plantation for one shilling, eightpence a day. He died September 13, 1943.’ The music of the verse is in a calypso idiom, but the refrain, which may predate it, has powerful echoes of Africa and has been harmonized accordingly. |
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LYRICS FOR HARRY BELAFONTE'S VERSION OF "THE VIRGIN MARY HAD A BABY BOY" (1961) ENTITLED "THE BABY BOY"
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
And they gave him the name of Jesus
He came from the Glory
He came from the Glorious Kingdom
Oh yes, Believer, oh, yes, Believer
He came from the Glory
He came from the Glorious Kingdom
The wise men saw when the baby born
The wise men saw where the baby born
The wise men went where the baby born
And they said that his name was Jesus
He came from the Glory
He came from the Glorious Kingdom
Oh yes, Believer, oh, yes, Believer
He came from the Glory
He came from the Glorious Kingdom
They saw the star over Bethlehem
That glorious star over Bethlehem
They trailed that star over Bethlehem
To the crib of the child named Jesus
He came from the Glory
He came from the Glorious Kingdom
Oh yes, Believer, oh, yes, Believer
He came from the Glory
He came from the Glorious Kingdom
They found a manger in Bethlehem
A lowly manger in Bethlehem
And in that manger in Bethlehem
They worshipped the child named Jesus
He came from the Glory
He came from the Glorious Kingdom
Oh yes, Believer, oh, yes, Believer
He came from the Glory
He came from the Glorious Kingdom
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INFORMATION AND COMMENTS ABOUT THIS SONG
These excerpts and quotes are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
EXCERPT #1
From https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virgin_Mary_Had_A_Baby_Boy
"The Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy or Glorious Kingdom is a traditional English Christmas carol from the West Indies .
The calypso carol was first mentioned by Edric Connor (1913–1968) of Trinidad in his 1945 book West Indian Spirituals and Folk Tunes . As the editors of the Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols note, the refrain contains “powerful echoes from Africa.” [1]
There are numerous recordings and arrangements of the song. Harry Belafonte and the American folk group The Weavers, among others, recorded it."
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EXCERPT #2
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=6712&messages=13 The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
1. "Both the Weavers and Harry Belafonte recorded the song although I don't recall if the Weavers version was before or after the "sabbatical" as they often referred to the blacklisting period. I also have an erxtended play "45" (Columbia B-9231) called "Calypso Christmas" performed by the DePaur Chorus. I contains 4 songs including a rather up temp arrangement of "De Virgin Mary Had Baby Boy". There is no year on it, but I presume it is sometime in the 1950's (can't just say 50's, Y2K you know). I am sure the recording was made to take advantage of the surge of interest in calypso at the time."
-rich r, 27 Sept 98
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2."To answer an earlier question - the version by The Weavers featured Erik Darling, so I assume that would put it after their blacklisting."
-Brooklyn Jay, 28 November 23
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