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Belafonte's 'Day-O' recorded 60 years ago

Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte at "The Deeper They Bury Me" interactive during the 53rd New York Film Festival at Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center on Sept. 27, 2015, in New York City.
John Lamparski | Getty Images

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Today's Morning Edition music is from "Day-O," one of Harry Belafonte's signature songs, which he recorded 60 years ago Tuesday.

It's derived from a Jamaican folk song originally sung by banana pickers who worked the night shift. The workers had to wait until a supervisor verified how many bananas they had picked before they could go home.

It's an example of the Jamaican music style known as mento, which had a big influence on the sound that became known as ska and reggae.