The Midnight Special is a 1962 album by Jamaican-American singer, Harry Belafonte. Chart performance The album peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Best Selling Monoraul LP's during a twenty four-week run on the chart.
Background The album notably contains the first officially-released recording by Bob Dylan, who plays harmonica on the title track. For many years the Belafonte session was thought to have been Dylan’s first professional recording, simply because this RCA Victor album was released first. However, in 2001, documentation was found in the RCA Victor vaults along with the session tapes which definitively dates the session as having been recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, in February 1962. This places it later than Dylan's recording session with folksinger Carolyn Hester, which dates from September 1961, also in New York City, although her album was not released until later in 1962.
Track listing
Critical reception praised on its 50th anniversary giving it 8.1/10.
Personnel Harry Belafonte – vocals Ernie Calabria – guitar Millard Thomas – guitar Norman Keenan – bass Percy Brice – drums Danny Barrajanos – drums Don Lamond – drums Joe Wilder – trumpet solo Jerome Richardson – saxophone Bob Dylan – harmonica on track 1 Production notes: Hugo Montenegro – producer Conducted and arranged by Jimmy Jones Bob Simpson – engineer, mastering Peter Perri – cover photo Bob Bollard – liner notes Charts Chart (1962) Peakposition US Billboard Best Selling Monoraul LP's8 References