Miriam Makeba recorded a version in the 50s, followed by the America folk group The Weavers which were led by Seeger. They were actually saying Uyimbube, which means ‘you’re a Lion’. He thought they were saying Wimoweh on the original, and that’s what he wrote down and how it was recorded in English. Folk singer Pete Seeger got a hold of it and started working on an English version. That whole evolution started with Linda’s Mbube.Īround 1948, the South African record company sent a copy to Decca Records in the US, hoping to get it distributed there. Township jive became a whole movement, nurturing famous exponents as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, known for their contribution on Paul Simon’s Graceland album. Singing was their only way to express themselves musically, so that’s what they did. Musical instruments were forbidden for black workers in the townships as they might be used as weapons. Linda called it ‘a song for girls’ because of the high vocals required. All Zulu choral music was even labelled Mbube Music. It is a Zulu song created in Ladysmith in Zululand, which is now called Swaziland. The same year Solomon, who was born Solomon Linda Ntsele and worked as a cleaner and record packer for Gallo records, sold the song to record producer and label owner Eric Gallo for 10 shillings and hence received no royalties for the song. The Lion Sleeps Tonight started life in 1939 as Mbube (pronounced Eem-boom-beh), and was first recorded by Solomon Linda’s Original Evening Birds. But over the years people have added their own name through their own different interpretations of the song. Looking at the writing credits on many versions of The Lion Sleeps Tonight you will see the names Hugo Peretti / Luigi Creatore / George David Weiss / Solomon Linda / Paul Campbell and may wonder how it took five people write a fairly simple song.
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