Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra - Hold Em Joe Im Just A Country Boy

Review by Dan Almasy

Hold ‘Em Joe / I’m Just A Country Boy – Harry Belafonte’s Underrated Gem from 1957 Let me tell ya, diving into this album felt like opening a time capsule that smelled faintly of vinyl and nostalgia. Hold ‘Em Joe / I’m Just A Country Boy by Harry Belafonte (with Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra) is one of those records you don’t expect to hit so hard but somehow does. It came out in 1957, smack dab in the middle of an era when music was still figuring itself out—and yet, here we are with something smooth, soulful, and just plain fun. The genres? Jazz, reggae, pop—it's kinda all over the place, honestly. But it works. Styles lean toward easy listening and calypso, which makes sense because Belafonte basically owned the calypso vibe back then. This record hopped across borders too—released in the US and Germany under RCA Victor—and trust me, it feels universal. Now, let’s talk tracks. There are only two on this lil' slice of wax: “I’m Just A Country Boy” and “Hold ‘Em Joe.” And oh man, these songs stick to your ribs like good BBQ sauce. “I’m Just A Country Boy” kicks things off with this warm, almost conversational tone. You can hear Belafonte’s voice wrapping around you like a cozy blanket. He doesn’t oversing; he lets the lyrics breathe, and that’s what gets me every time. The melody’s simple, sure, but there’s something about how he delivers lines like “I’m just a country boy, born and bred in the sticks” that feels real. Like, no gimmicks, no frills—just a guy telling his story. It reminds me of sitting on a porch somewhere far away from city noise, sipping lemonade, and feeling grateful for small-town life even if I’ve never lived it. Then there’s “Hold ‘Em Joe,” which flips the mood entirely. This track has got swagger, baby! From the first beat, the horns punch through, and suddenly you’re not lounging anymore—you’re moving. Belafonte brings this playful energy, like he’s grinning while singing. There’s a cheekiness to the whole thing, especially when he belts out “Hold ‘em, Joe!” It’s impossible not to smile along. I swear, I caught myself nodding my head and mumbling along after just one listen. It’s catchy as hell. What strikes me most isn’t just the music itself—it’s how effortlessly Belafonte blends styles. Calypso meets jazz meets pop, and instead of clashing, they dance together. That takes guts, or maybe just pure talent. Either way, it’s magic. Reflecting on this album, I gotta say—it’s weird how some pieces of art feel frozen in time while others age like fine wine. This one? Wine cellar material for sure. Listening to it now, decades later, it still feels fresh, alive. Makes me wonder if Harry knew he’d be creating something people would stumble upon and fall in love with years down the line. Or maybe he didn’t care—he was just making music that felt right. And isn’t that wild? Sometimes the simplest things leave the biggest marks.

Download Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra - Hold Em Joe Im Just A Country Boy

Artist: Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra
Album: Hold Em Joe Im Just A Country Boy

1956

Rating: 4.0

Review
About Album
Download
Tracks
Video
Images
Catalog Numbers
Labels
Listen online
Formats
Companies
Notes
Barcodes
About Artist
Interesting fact
Comments
Related albums

Download

Filename: harry-belafonte-with-hugo-winterhalter-and-his-orchestra-hold.zip

MP3 size: 12 mb
FLAC size: 92.6 mb

Download

Tracks

Track	Duration	Preview
Hold 'Em Joe
I'm Just A Country Boy

Video

Harry Belafonte - Hold 'Em Joe (1954 AND 1957)

Images

last ned album Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra - Hold Em Joe Im Just A Country Boy

baixar álbum Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra - Hold Em Joe Im Just A Country Boy

Album herunterladen Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra - Hold Em Joe Im Just A Country Boy

lataa albumi Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra - Hold Em Joe Im Just A Country Boy

Catalog Numbers

447-0322
20-5617

Labels

RCA Victor
RCA

Listen online

escuchar en línea
online anhören
ouvir online
online luisteren
écouter en ligne
kuunnella verkossa
ascolta in linea
lyssna på nätet
lytte på nettet

Formats

Vinyl
7"
45 RPM
Mono
triangle
10"
78 RPM
Promo

Companies

Role	Company
Manufactured By	TELDEC »Telefunken-Decca« Schallplatten GmbH

Notes

Black RCA Victor label.
Made in Germany stamped on runout.
Black and white promotional labels.

Barcodes

Rights Society: Resco
Matrix / Runout (Label side A): E 4 VW-2807
Matrix / Runout (Label side B): E 4 VW-2806
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A): 45-E4-VW-2807-XV
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B): 45-E4-VW-2806-XV
Matrix / Runout (Runout both sides, stamped): Manufactured in Germany
Matrix / Runout (Runout both sides, etched): Gi-S.
Matrix / Runout (Side A Print): E4VB-2807
Matrix / Runout (Side B Print): E4VB-2806

About Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra

descargar álbum Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra - Hold Em Joe Im Just A Country Boy

ladda ner album Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra - Hold Em Joe Im Just A Country Boy

télécharger l'album Harry Belafonte With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra - Hold Em Joe Im Just A Country Boy

American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist, born March 1, 1927 in Harlem, New York, United States. Father of .

Real Name

Harold George Belafonte Jr.

Name Vars

A. Belafonte
Belafont
Belafonte
Belefonte
Bell
Bellafonte
H Belafonte
H Bellafonte
H! Belafonte
H, Belafonte
H. Belaf.
H. Belafonta
H. Belafonte
H. Belefonte
H. Bellafonte
H.Belafonte
Harry Bellafonte
Hary Belafonte
Henri Belafonte
J. Bellafonte
MC Belafonte
Shary Belafonte
Г. Белафонте
Гарри Белафонте
yéÕ©óÆ
ÏêüûÙéÕ©óÆ

Aliases

Raymond Bell
Stephen Somvel

Interesting fact about Album

Did you know? Harry Belafonte's 1957 album *Hold 'Em Joe / I'm Just A Country Boy* is a unique blend of genres, mixing Jazz, Reggae, and Pop with styles like Easy Listening and Calypso. It was released in both the US and Germany under RCA Victor. The album features tracks that showcase Belafonte’s versatility, including the catchy tunes "I'm Just A Country Boy" and "Hold 'Em Joe." Pretty cool how one album can bring together so many musical flavors, right?

Comments

sutil1000

2025-03-17

I appreciate this song for the sentimental factor, but can you imagine that a bullshit song like this could be that popular?

matteomulas

2025-03-17

I sang this back in 6th grade as part of an elementary school concert.

rnestes392

2025-03-16

Before Elvis
Harry was my inspiration
L.Russell Brown

ccoachb

2025-03-15

Nise

countryweddingideas

2025-03-14

Someone please play this for our new President Joe Biden. I think he will get a laugh out of it.

mtllaxxy

2025-03-13

Respect

innovatormindsetsite

2025-03-12

Black people love this stuff.

rassthecide

2025-03-12

This won't mean much unless you live in the UK or Australia, but this track inspired Rolf Harris to write "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport".

learn2discern

2025-03-12

Young men used to (and still do) “practice” sex on donkey’s. In these countries that’s just the kind of crap they do. Don’t take my word for it there are literally documentaries and plenty of stuff about it online.

piccinino1

2025-03-11

This song brings back memories...remember call ing the music store in 1954 to see if they had this RECORD in stock....Sure did...took my $1.00 and purchased the 78rpm record.