The next twist was in 1994 when the song was featured in American animated musical film The Lion King, produced and released by Disney. He sent Linda some money then copyrighted The Weavers’ arrangement and sent The Weavers some money.” When Seeger realised the error, he arranged a donation of $1000 and his share of ongoing royalties to Linda, but it seemed even this never found its way back. As Seeger has put it: “The big mistake I made was not making sure my publisher signed a regular songwriters’ contract with Linda. It seems 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. The trouble was that as the song evolved, no provision was made for recognising Linda’s original work. 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
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