Siegel was a member of The Tokens, a doo-wop vocal group from Brooklyn, New York. In the late 1950s, Jay Siegel heard the Kingston Trio’s cover of “Wimoweh” and loved it. One of those groups was the Kingston Trio. Multiple bands covered “Wimoweh” in the 1950s. The Weavers released “Wimoweh” in 1952, and it reached #15 on the US Best Sellers Charts. Seeger later recorded “Wimoweh” with his group, The Weavers. As Seeger listened to the records, he misinterpreted the lyric “Uyimbube” as “Wimoweh” and wrote a song by the same name. In the early 1950s, legendary folklorist Alan Lomax gifted that box of records to his friend and fellow folklorist, Pete Seeger. Although it also became popular in Europe, there is no data on the number of records sold there.Įventually, the studio sent “Mbube” and other African records to the United States in hopes that radio stations would play them and they’d gain popularity. What’s the Most Popular Version of The Lion Sleeps Tonight?īy 1949, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” was the first African record sell 100,000 copies. It soon returned as a 10-inch 78-rpm record. The recording studio etched the song in beeswax and sent it to England. As the group fished for the key and towards the end of the third take, Linda opened up his soprano falsetto and allowed “Uyimube” to flow into the tune we know today. In their native language, they pronounced “mbube” EEM-boo-beh which means lion. He recorded it during the second session in less than four takes. Most of the songs recorded spoke of the injustice Black South Africans experienced under British colonial rule.īut one of the songs created, “Mbube” by Linda, came from those memories of protecting the cattle from the lions. They sang acapella songs in their native language in beer halls across the area.Ī talent scout got the group invited into the Gallo Recording Company, the only recording studio in sub-Saharan Africa. While finding work in the city, he also formed a group called Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds. How Did Solomon Linda Create The Lion Sleeps Tonight? These new sounds inspired Linda, and he began to incorporate them into songs and chants he and his friends would sing at ceremonies and feasts. African American composer Scott Joplin introduced ragtime, famous since the 1880s, and it also began making its way across South Africa. McAdoo was instrumental in introducing black American music to South Africa. Orpheus McAdoo performed at his school with The Village Jubilee Singers. And during his time at the Gordon Memorial Mission School, teachers introduced him to new styles of music. He often spent time chasing off the lions hoping they’d find rest or their demise.Īlthough he struggled to read or write, he was an excellent songwriter and choreographer. As a cattle herder within his tribe, Linda was familiar with their main predator, the lion. Solomon Linda was born in Zululand, South Africa, in 1909. Let’s find out! Who Originally Wrote The Lion Sleeps Tonight? How did a song about a sleeping lion come to be? And what did South Africa have to do with it? Then, as a result of an article by Rolling Stone in 2000, the secret of a family in South Africa became known worldwide. Musicians worldwide have covered the hit, and countless television shows and movies have used it in their soundtracks.Ī new generation learned this catchy tune when Disney released The Lion King in 1994. The Lion Sleeps Tonight, released in the early 60s, is one of the most successful pop songs of all time.
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