The song now-named “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” reached number one at the end of 1961 and inspired a seemingly endless string of covers. Unfortunately, as Gallo had purchased the recording from Linda (for a reported ten shillings), Linda never earned anything from the sales. It became a big hit and made Linda a star among black audiences. One night after his shift he was permitted to use the studio to record a song he called “Mbube”, meaning Lion in Zulu. In 1939 Linda worked as a cleaner at the Gallo Record Company. Inspired by traditional call-and-response chants, they built four-part harmonies with Linda’s improvised vocals soaring over the top. He moved to Johannesburg in his 20s and formed an a cappella band he called the Evening Birds, who built a popular following with their distinctive style. He never learned to read or write, but he was much admired as a singer. Music has its share of “unsung” heroes, although occasionally they achieve recognition in unexpected ways and at unexpected times.īorn in 1909, Solomon Linda grew up in Zulu country in South Africa. With the new CGI animated Lion King coming to cinemas this summer, what better time to look at the creation and history of a timeless song, The Lion Sleeps Tonight? Join us as we dive into the rich history of this well known classic. Music, like most art, is not as original as it may seem. Story of a Song – The Lion Sleeps Tonight Linda'.Īnd even though Solomon Linda is now being credited as a writer in The Lion King remake and on the soundtrack, the settlement deal prohibits the Linda family from making any further claims against Abilene or the three Americans credited as composers of ‘ The Lion Sleeps Tonight’. This is the version that's been repeated down through the years by various folk artistsand vocal groups… Except for Miriam Makeba who in 1960 recorded the same song again as ' Mbube', and with the writing credit given back to 'J. 'The Weavers' credited the song as 'Traditional', with arrangement by 'Paul Campbell', later found out to be a pseudonym used by 'the Weavers' in order to claim royalties. This was the version that contained the chorus chanting 'Wimoweh' and Linda's improvised melodic line. Later on 'The Weavers' recorded an adapted version and called it ' Wimoweh', which is a mishearing of the original song's chorus of ' Uyimbube', Zulu: You are a lion. Performing with a musical ensemble the 'Evening Birds' in Johannesburg, Linda and his fellow musicians recorded a number of songs, including ' Mbube', which incorporated a call-response pattern common among many Sub-Saharan African ethnic groups, including the Zulu. The name of the song was ' Mbube' which is Zulu for 'lion'

The song we know as ' The Lion Sleeps Tonight' or as ' Wimoweh' was was written in the 1920s by Solomon Linda a South African singer of Zulu origin. Performance notes: ' Wimoweh' is a mishearing of the original song's chorus of ' Uyimbube'… Zulu for, ' You are a lion'. Meter, Time Signature, Tempo : 4/4 rhythmic shuffle, swing the eighths Optional percussion: a creative music teacher will want to add some instruments to this selection Voicing: unison/2 part with piano accompaniment Education Value: rhythmic work without too much note movement Published by : Alfred - 31248 sound track available Source : Classic pop Lyrics and music by George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore

Original wimoweh