Belafonte to mark birthday with album

Harry Belafonte is turning 90 in a few weeks, and he’s planning to use the milestone to release an album that will underscore part of his life’s work – fostering racial harmony. A multi-ethnic children’s choir will perform a new version of his classic Island in the Sun for a new anthology of his music, When Colors Come Together: The Legacy of Harry Belafonte.

He co-wrote the song for the 1957 film Island in the Sun. It generated controversy at the time for its exploration of race and interracial romance. “Most of the things that fuel prejudice, that fuels hate ... are contrived,” Belafonte, who turns 90 on March 1, said in a release. “The differences that exist between us should be things that attract us to one another, not alienate us from one another.” The album is set for release on February 24.