The Borning Day

Words and Music: Fred Hellerman and Fran Minkoff
Based on a traditional West Indian carol

Also known as Marie Et Son Enfant

Recorded by
Harry Belafonte, Streets I Have Walked (1963)
Harry Belafonte: The Legend (1986, 3 CD Set)
Harry Belafonte, A Man And His Music (1989)
The Brothers Four, Merry Christmas (1966)
Modern Angels, Shining Heart (1991)

ASCAP lists Fred Hellerman (b. May 13, 1927) with 57 songs; ASCAP lists Fran Minkoff with 29 songs, most of which were in collaboration with Hellerman. Among Hellerman’s other credits, he was one of the four founding members in 1950 of The Weavers (together with Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, and Ronnie Gilbert, which enjoyed instant success with  versions of "Goodnight Irene" and other folk tunes).

Other arrangements of The Borning Day were created by Bartholemew Sayles and James Leyden. There is an French translation of the carol titled Marie Et Son Enfant, recorded by Petula Clark in 1970 (and found on her CDs C'Est Le Refrain De Ma Vie, and on her Anthologie V.7 (1968-1970), among others. Credit for the carol is given to "Delanoe - Hellerman - Minkoff."

There is also a painting titled La Vierge Marie et Son Enfant
(The Virgin Mary and Her Child) by Carlo Crivelli

My thanks to Tamae Memole and Jeff Memole for their help in correcting errors and omissions on this page.

 

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