MARY’S BOY CHILD - Harry Belafonte / Guitar Lesson / Cover / Lyrics

Details

Description

A powerful and emotional rendition of "MARY'S BOY CHILD" is performed on the acoustic guitar, with heartfelt vocals. The video includes easy-to-follow guitar chords and lyrics, allowing viewers to learn and play along.
‘Mary’s Boy Child’ - a Christmas song first recorded by Harry Belafonte.
I couldn’t reach Harry Belafonte’s original key of Bbmajor. My version is in key Gmajor, 3 semitones (frets) lower.

FOR MY VERSION OF THE SONG FOR THE LOWER VOICE: https://youtu.be/8Sjtml1ScJU

For my other version of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js3k3j3LYYo

My strumming pattern: (4 beats to the bar). I use a thin plectrum.
All downstrokes.
1 2 3 4 . . . . (repeated)
D Dddddd
Count: 1 2+3+4+
Count 1: downstroke on top (one or two) bass strings
2: slower downstroke emphasising all strings then a quick
downstroke on top bass strings.
3: two quick downstrokes
4: two quick downstrokes
Maybe a small variation here and there. You can make it as simple or as difficult as you like.

I can remember my dad buying this record at Christmas 1957. I was 9 years old. My younger brother and sister and me could not get enough of it. As soon as it finished we lifted the needle and placed it back at the start. I think we wore it out in the end.

"Mary's Boy Child" was written by Jester Hairston and first recorded by
Harry Belafonte in 1956 for his album An Evening with Belafonte.
An edited version was subsequently released as a single, reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1957.

It was the first single to sell over one million copies in the UK alone.

It was the first Number 1 to have a playing time of more than four minutes. (Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child" 1957; 4 mins 12 secs).

Harry Belafonte was the first black male to have a number one hit in the UK single charts.