Mary's Boy Child
| "Mary's Boy Child" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
German single sleeve | ||||
| Single by Harry Belafonte | ||||
| from the album An Evening with Belafonte | ||||
| B-side | "Venezuela" | |||
| Released | December 1956 | |||
| Recorded | July 1956 | |||
| Studio | Grand Ballroom, Webster Hall, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:20 (album version; UK single version) 2:53 (US single version) | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter | Jester Hairston | |||
| Harry Belafonte singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Mary's Boy Child", also known as "Mary's Little Boy Child" or "Mary's Little Boy Chile", is a 1956 Christmas song written by Jester Hairston. It is widely performed as a Christmas carol. The song is most associated with Harry Belafonte who released it as a single in December 1956, and on his album the following year, An Evening with Belafonte.
The song has been recorded twice by Andy Williams; once on his 1965 album Merry Christmas and again on his 1997 album We Need A Little Christmas, and was one of the best selling singles for disco-group Boney M. in 1978, as "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord".