Irving Burgie facts for kids

Irving Louis Burgie (born July 28, 1924 – died November 29, 2019) was an American musician and songwriter. He was also known as Lord Burgess. Many people think he was one of the most important composers of Caribbean music.

He wrote 34 songs for the famous singer Harry Belafonte. Eight of these songs were on Belafonte's 1956 album Calypso. This was the first album ever to sell one million copies! Irving Burgie also wrote the words for the National Anthem of Barbados. His songs have sold over 100 million copies around the world.

About Irving Burgie

Irving Burgie was born in Brooklyn, New York. His mother was from Barbados and his father was from Virginia.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

He joined the US Army during World War II. He served in places like Burma, China, and India. This is where he started playing guitar and singing. After the war, he studied music at the Juilliard School. In 1950, he met Harry Belafonte.

Burgie began singing and playing guitar in New York City clubs. He used the name Lord Burgess. He learned many songs from the Caribbean as a child. He also collected more songs during his visits there.

Working with Harry Belafonte

In 1954, Burgie performed as Lord Burgess. He also released an album called Lord Burgess' Calypso Serenaders. A friend named William Attaway suggested he write songs for Harry Belafonte.

Burgie and Attaway wrote some of the words for the famous song "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)". Harry Belafonte recorded this song. It became a huge hit in 1957. It was one of his most famous songs.

Burgie and Attaway wrote eight songs for Belafonte's 1956 album Calypso. These songs included "Day-O" and "Jamaica Farewell". "Day-O" was a traditional Jamaican song. It was sung by dock workers who loaded bananas onto ships at night. Burgie said "Day-O" was a song about hard work. It was about the struggles of people living under colonial rule. The song "Jamaica Farewell" was later recorded by other artists like Jimmy Buffett.

Belafonte recorded many other songs written by Burgie. These included "Island in the Sun". Burgie wrote ten songs on Belafonte's 1957 album Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean. He also wrote eight songs on the 1961 album Jump Up Calypso.

Later Career and Legacy

Irving Burgie started his own music publishing company. By the late 1950s, he could live well from the money he earned from his songs. This money is called royalties. In 1960, he helped pay for a magazine in Harlem called The Urbanite. He also supported people working for civil rights.

He wrote the music and words for a musical called Ballad for Bimshire in 1963. He also wrote the words for the national anthem of Barbados. The anthem is called "In Plenty and In Time of Need". It was adopted in 1966 when Barbados became an independent country.

Burgie did not perform very often after his early success. In 1996, an album called Island in the Sun: The Songs of Irving Burgie was released. Another album, The Father of Modern Calypso, came out in 2003.

In 2007, he was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His life story is told in his book Day-O!!! The Autobiography of Irving Burgie (2007).

Irving Burgie passed away on November 29, 2019. He was 95 years old. He died from heart failure at his home in Queens. The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, announced his death. This happened during the nation’s Independence Day Parade.

Discography

• Lord Burgess' Calypso Serenaders - Folk Songs of Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad (1954)
• Ballad For Bimshire. A New Musical of Barbados (1963)
• Lord Burgess and his Sun Islanders - Calypso Go Go (1967)
• Lord Burgess Rides Again (1984)
• Island in the Sun: The Songs of Irving Burgie (1996)
• The Father Of Modern Calypso (2003)