[3] Harry Belafonte's first recording of the song was on April 27, 1953 and was released as a single.
He re-recorded "Matilda" for his second RCA Victor LP, Belafonte, released in 1955.
An example is heard on his 1959 live album Belafonte at Carnegie Hall, where the total playing time for "Matilda" is nearly 12 minutes.
[4] Allan Sherman recorded a variation of the song in his first album, 1962's My Son, the Folk Singer, and put a Jewish-sounding spin on it, including asking portions of his audience (such as "Members of Hadassah") to sing along: Sherman was later sued by the estate of the song's composer for not obtaining permission to perform it, because "Matilda" was protected by copyright law.
Sherman paid a substantial penalty for this, as recounted in his book, A Gift of Laughter.