4 | MAY 11 • 2023 

for openers
When Harry Met Big Al
L

egendary singer, actor, 
WWII veteran and civil 
rights activist Harry 
Belafonte passed away at age 
96 on April 25. The news of 
his passing instantly opened 
the floodgates 
of some of the 
most cherished 
memories of my 
career and life. 
I was given the 
high privilege of 
performing on 
stage with Harry 
— not just once, 
but twice! 
Don’t fact check me. I have 
witnesses and, as you can see, 
I have photos.
In March 2000, Harry 
Belafonte was coming to town 
to participate and perform 
for the three day “Celebration 
of Diversity” town hall 
meeting, benefit concert and 
youth diversity symposium 
sponsored by the Southfield 
Community Foundation 
(SCF) and the National 
Conference for Community 
and Justice.
Local marketing maven, 
publicist and major event 
producer Roz Lullove 
Cooperman was the creator 
and driving force behind 
organizing the Belafonte 
appearances when she was a 
board member on the SCF. 
Roz was looking for a fun 
local media angle to tie-in 
with to help promote the 
events, someone she said: 
“Who really did well with 
live audiences and who could 
build a rapport with Harry on 
stage.” And despite risking her 
credibility, she actually chose 
me. 

Roz and I caught up last 
week for coffee, 23 years after 
Harry’s visit to Detroit, to 
fondly remember the one-
of-a-kind entertainer and 
humanitarian who was Harry 
Belafonte. 
We spread out wonderful 
photos, news clippings and 
promotional materials that 
chronicled his visit and 
reminisced and wiped away a 
tear or two remembering how 
it all came together. 

SHARED JOURNEYS
It turns out Harry and Roz 
were already dear friends by 
the time of the Celebration 
of Diversity program. The 
two had met a few years prior 
when Harry was in town for 
another event. Roz had the 
opportunity to have a private 
chat with him over something 
that profoundly impacted both 
of their lives — cancer.
Roz was a breast cancer 
survivor, and she knew 
Harry was a prostate cancer 
survivor. That conversation 
led to a collaboration between 
the two, eventually teaming 
up on several occasions 
to help promote prostate 

cancer awareness. “It was 
a very important message 
to communicate to men 
in general and particularly 
to men in the minority 
community,” Roz said. 
That budding relationship 
would pay dividends again 
when Roz asked Harry 
to make a return visit to 
Motown for the Celebration of 
Diversity program.

CASTING CALL
Roz reached out to me at 
the Dick Purtan Show and 
formerly invited me to 
perform live on-stage during 
Harry’s benefit concert on the 
evening of March 10, 2000, 
at the Detroit Opera House. 
It was agreed upon by Harry 
that I would (steel drum roll 
please) be given the high 
honor of singing Belafonte’s 
iconic “Banana Boat” song 
with him! Can you say: “Day-
O!” 
But I told Roz she’d have to 
go through my agent. Yeah, 
right. Of course, I didn’t. I’m 
certain I said yes before she 
finished her invitation.
But before I get to the 
details of that magical night, 

there was a quaint dinner 
party arranged by Roz at her 
home the evening before the 
concert that would give me a 
chance to meet Harry. 
Billy Crystal has his When 
Harry Met Sally, well this is 
my When Harry Met Big Al.

BELAFONTE AND BRISKET
I came to learn that the 
incomparable calypso crooner 
Belafonte had almost as much 
experience with Judaism as 
he had with Jamaica. Harry’s 
second wife, to whom he was 
married for 46 years from 
1958 to 2004, was Jewish-
born dancer Julie Robinson. 
They had a son and daughter 
together. 
Roz put on her Jewish 
mother hat the evening prior 
to the concert and cooked 
Harry a delicious kosher 
brisket with all the traditional 
trimmings, including dill 
pickles. It was enjoyed by a 
dozen guests, including yours 
truly, around an elegantly set 
dining room table in Roz’s 
home. 
Roz also wore her producer 
hat when she strategically 
sat me next to Harry to get 
acquainted. We had an instant 
rapport. 
By the way, this was not 
a huge star who was just 
trying to get through some 
obligatory dinner. (I’m talking 
about Harry, not me.) He 
took an interest in everybody 
in attendance. “Harry was 
one of the most elegant and 
thoughtful listeners,” Roz 
recalled fondly. I learned that 
firsthand.
 Harry asked me questions 
and took a genuine interest 

Alan 
Muskovitz
Contributing 
Writer

PURELY COMMENTARY

Harry Belafonte 
and Alan 
Muskovitz, circa 
2000.

