![]() It seemed as if in the complicated process of licensing and publishing, either Linda’s ownership of the composition was ignored, or nobody quite followed the legal trail back to the original composer.Īs Pete Seeger has put it: “The big mistake I made was not making sure my publisher signed a regular songwriters’ contract with Linda. The only trouble was that as the song had gone through such an evolution that no provision was made for recognizing Linda’s original work. It reached number one at the end of 1961 and inspired a seemingly endless string of covers. The song was now named, The Lion Sleeps Tonight. As it turned out, though, the record buying public saw something more in the song and it took on a life of its own. His improvisation into a melody with the now-famous lines, “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.” Although The Tokens were initially not overly thrilled by this new arrangement of the song they loved, they were persuaded to release the new mix as a "B" side to another record. The doo-wop group, The Tokens, “employed” Anita Darian, a soprano for extra vocals.Īlong with a full band, the real master stroke was to adapt an especially inspired segment of Linda’s original version. The group was eventually discovered by a talent scout and the rest is history. Linda’s improvised vocals were distinctive and soared over the top of the rest - even though the lyrics to "Mbube" are in the Zulu language, Linda's high lead vocals are clearly the same pitch and pattern as the English lyrics that would later be written. ![]() The group was known for their four-part harmonies and improvised lyrics which worked remarkably well. They had to chase them away to keep them from eating their animals. Other parts of the song were inspired by their reminiscences of chasing the wild lions who would prey on their families’ livestock at night. The chanted chorus of "Mbube" - the "wimoweh" part - was inspired by the traditional call and response chants of birds native to that specific part of the world. Their distinctive music style was reminiscent of their humble upbringings. Solomon Linda’s band was inspired by their native Zulu roots. As a young man, Linda relocated to Johannesburg and formed the Evening Birds, who enjoyed a huge following. Of Zulu heritage, Linda never learned to read or write but was well known as a talented singer. Solomon Linda was born in 1909 near Ladysmith, near KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa.
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