BWA KAYIMAN SEREMONI, Haitian Community, Brooklyn, NY

DAY-O COMPOSER IRVING BURGIE INKS PUBLISHING PACT WITH BMG MGMT

(New York) -- "Songwriter Hall Of Fame" member, Irving Burgie, the composer of such standards as Harry Belafonte smashes "Day-O", "Jamaica Farewell" and "Island In The Sun", recently signed a worldwide co-publishing arrangement with BMG Rights Management. He received a significant signing bonus from BMG, which will administer his extensive and world famous catalogue.

Burgie said, "Its gratifying to know that my work has spanned generation and genres, from Belafonte in the 1950's, to "The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra" in 1983, to "Beetlejuice" in 1989, to the "Day-O" samples, Lil' Wayne (Six Foot, Seven Foot) in 2010, and Jason Derulo's (I Don't Wanna Go Home) in 2011.

Laurent Hubert, Chief Operating Officer, BMG North America says, "Irving Burgie is truly a national treasure.  His songs are as unmistakable and engaging today as when they were written". The Belafonte album "Calypso" (1956), featuring eight songs written by Burgie, was the first album to sell more than one million copies in the United States, and was #1 on the Billboard Charts for thirty-two (32) weeks. Burgie followed this success by penning material for two more Belafonte albums that likewise became major pop hits. "Belafonte Sings Of The Caribbean" 1958 and "Jump-Up Calypso" 1960.
    

A few years later he had the honor of being commissioned to craft the lyric to the Barbados National Anthem (his mother's homeland 1966).  Irving's artistry has gone on to successive generations of artists who have recorded and performed his compositions, from Mantovani and Mariam Makeba to Julio Igleslas, Jimmy Buffett and Carly Simon. Burgie songs have sold over 100 million records. In Addition, his music has appeared in films such as Daryl Zanuck's, "Island In The Sun" (1958) and Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice" (1988.
    

The song "Day-O" served as the official wake-up call for NASA's Atlantis Space Shuttle (1997). Half a century following its debut, "Day-O"  is still regularly heard in sports stadiums around the world. Irving Burgie, a veteran of World War 2, studied music under the G.I BIll at Julliard in New York, the University Of Arizona, and the University Of Southern California. He received honorary doctorate degrees from the Universirty of The West Indies, (1988) , St John's University, NY (2009) and York College NY (2010).
    

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of "Day-O", the ASCAP Foundation, "Irving Burgie Scholarship" was established in 2006 to support  aspiring African-American songwriters. He is currently publishing a new song book, and a double CD of his most famous songs, sung by Burgie and friends.

Now Eighty-seven (87), he is working on a screen adaptation of his 1963 Off B' Way Musical, "Barbados". Irving Burgie has been a member of ASCAP since 1956. He served on the Board Of Directors of the Song Writers Hall Of Fame for the past fifteen (15) years.