“Didn’t It Rain”, sometimes given as “Oh, Didn’t It Rain”, is a spiritual about Noah’s flood. In 1919 it appeared as sheet music in an arrangement for voice and piano by Henry Thacker Burleigh (1866–1949). While Harry Belafonte wasn’t the first singer to sing the African American gospel song, he definitely added his own spin. “Didn’t It Rain” was popularized by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Mahalia Jackson. Belafonte’s version ended up on the live double album “Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall,” which hit #3 on the Billboard chart.
Songs with Banjo from Harold Hagler
