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record company when he wrote the song, received virtually nothing for his work and died in 1962 with $ 25 in his bank account. His family is suing Disney for $ 1.5 million. Disney says it will fight the suit, but it's already paying off. Though not named in the suit, U.S. music-publishing house TRO/Folkways last month admitted it had not been paying royalties on a version of the song, and promises to give some $ 3,000 a year to the Linda family and to finance a memorial to the unsung songwriter.
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It is one of the most naggingly catchy tunes in pop music - and, it turns out, one of the most controversial. The Lion Sleeps
Tonight, featured in Disney blockbuster The Lion King, is based on the 1939 song Mbube, written by South African musician Solomon Linda. But Linda, a cleaner at a Johannesburg
256:
style. Instead of using one singer per voice part, the
Evening Birds used a number of bass singers. He introduced the falsetto main voice, which incorporated female vocal texture into male singing. His group was the first known to use striped suits to indicate that they were urban sophisticates. At
773:
Although the song helped to make Linda a popular performer in South Africa, he received little compensation beyond Seeger's check. Collapsing on stage in 1959, Linda was diagnosed with kidney disease. His family has continued to blame witchcraft for his ailment. After a lengthy period spent in and
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The family of a South
African performer and composer who died in poverty are suing Disney for £900,000 over claims that the company used of one of his tunes in their hit film and stage show The Lion King. Solomon Linda, who died in 1962 aged 61, wrote Mbube while eking out a living as a beer-hall
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A trial was scheduled to start on 21 February 2006, but just before the trial, a settlement was reached between Linda's estate, Disney and
Abilene Music Company, the true defendant of the litigation, who had granted an indemnity to Disney when it licensed use of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in
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owned what at that time was sub-Saharan Africa's only recording studio. In 1939, while recording a number of songs in the studio, Linda improvised the song "Mbube" (Lion). "Mbube" was a major success for Linda and the
Evening Birds, reportedly selling more than 100,000 copies in
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In 1948, the
Evening Birds disbanded, and a year later Linda married Regina. While raising a family he continued to perform. His song "Mbube" had made him well known in South Africa. Linda is credited with a number of musical innovations that came to dominate the
264:
officials, and ends with the words "Sikhalela izwe lakithi" ("We cry for our country"). Such expressions were an occasional feature of Mbube songs. Groups such as The
Alexandrians were associated with the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union in Johannesburg.
194:, by then a sprawling gold-mining town with a great demand for cheap labour. He worked in the Mayi Mayi Furniture Shop on Small Street and sang in a choir known as the Evening Birds, managed by his uncles, Solomon and Amon Madondo, and which disbanded in 1933.
216:
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The group evolved from performances at weddings to choir competitions. Linda's musical popularity grew with the
Evening Birds, who presented "a very cool urban act that wears pinstriped suits, bowler hats and dandy two-tone shoes".
297:("you are a lion", from "u-" , "yi-" and "mbube" ), and it was introduced to America by The Weavers; they recorded a studio version in 1952 which became a Top 20 hit in the US, as well as an influential live version recorded at
702:, 5 February 1977. "In the same studios originated 'Wimoweh' ('The Lion Sleeps Tonight') first brought to the microphone as 'Mbube' by Solomon Linda, then a semi-professional with a job on the Gallo payroll as a record packer".
247:
by 1949. The recording was produced by
Motsieloa at the Gallo Recording Studios, in Johannesburg. Unknowingly, Linda sold the rights to Gallo Record Company for 10 shillings (less than US$ 2) soon after the recording was made.
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name. The members of the group were
Solomon Linda (soprano), Gilbert Madondo (alto), Boy Sibiya (tenor), with Gideon Mkhize, Samuel Mlangeni, and Owen Sikhakhane as basses. They were all Linda's friends from Pomeroy.
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out of the hospital, Linda died on 8 October 1962. A tombstone was only placed on his grave 18 years later, because their family could not afford one at the time of his death.
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A trust was to be formed to administer the estate's copyright in "Mbube" and to receive on their behalf the payments due from the use of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
187:(wedding songs) music. He attended the Gordon Memorial mission school, where he learned about Western musical culture, hymns, and participated in choir contests.
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singer in Johannesburg. The tune was later used for the hit single The Lion Sleeps Tonight and in a 20-second sequence of the 1994 film featuring the voices of
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Some of Linda's music can be interpreted as expressing political dissent. For example, "Yethulisgqoko" ("Take off your hat", Gallo GE 887) recalls treatment by
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During a performance in 1959, Linda collapsed. He was later diagnosed with kidney failure. His family suspected that he was bewitched by his musical rivals.
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During his musical career, Solomon Linda recorded many songs (some of them unissued) in the Gallo Recording Studio. He was accompanied by his vocal group,
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138:), was a South African musician, singer and composer best known as the composer of the song "Mbube", which later became the pop music success "
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The estate was to receive payment for past uses of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and an entitlement to future royalties from its worldwide use.
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Solomon Linda was to be acknowledged as a co-composer of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and to be designated as such in the future.
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to them. The story of the lawsuit against Disney and the aftermath of the settlement is told in the 2019 Netflix documentary,
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320:"; this is the version most often played on popular radio today. (However, at the time, 1961–62, a fast-tempo version by the
235:'s Roodepoort plant in 1938 as a record packer, the Evening Birds were witnessed by company talent scout Griffith Motsieloa.
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In 2004, with the backing of the South African government and Gallo Records, Linda's descendants in South Africa sued
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The Weavers' Carnegie Hall version was also the inspiration for the 1961 version recorded by popular music group
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In 1931, Linda, like many other young African men at that time, left his homestead to find menial work in
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the same time, their bass singing retained some musical elements indicative of traditional choral music.
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The original South African recording was discovered during the early 1950s by American musicologist
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Linda found employment at Johannesburg's Carlton Hotel and started a new group that retained
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DeMain, Bill. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". Performing Songwriter. Issue 95. July/August 2006.
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Linda's daughters claimed their father did not know how to read, in the 2019 documentary
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in 1955 and released in April 1957. The Weavers' version was subsequently covered by
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Despite the popularity and wide use of the song, Linda died impoverished in 1962 of
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performed by Solomon Linda's "Original Evening Birds" (opens directly in a
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427:"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was to be acknowledged as derived from "Mbube".
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Popular Music: critical concepts in media and cultural studies, Volume 4
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Music, Modernity, and the Global Imagination: South Africa and the West
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743:(19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 151.
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529:"Penniless sisters fight record industry over father's hit song"
834:"Penniless singer's family sue Disney for Lion King royalties"
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that tells Solomon Linda's story, and which was screened by
227:" performed by Solomon Linda's Original Evening Birds (1939)
813:"ReMastered: The Lion's Share | Netflix Official Site"
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Nightsong: Performance, Power, and Practice in South Africa
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674:
African Stars: studies in Black South African performance
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130:(1909 – 8 September 1962), also known as
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627:, New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
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in Natal, where he was familiar with the traditions of
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Scanned image of Linda's original Gallotone recording.
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This article is about the musician. For the town, see
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http://performingsongwriter.com/lion-sleeps-tonight/
371:cooperated to make a television documentary called
289:", an approximate phonetic rendering of the song's
912:"Copyright in the Courts: The Return of the Lion"
676:, University of Chicago Press, 1991, pp. 165-67.
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420:The primary outcomes of the settlement were:
367:alone. Malan and the South African filmmaker
1032:People from Umzinyathi District Municipality
555:
553:
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547:
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277:, who gave it to his friend, folk musician
312:, for whom English lyrics were written by
499:1942: Ndaba Zika Linda/Ngiyomutshel'Ubaba
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355:wrote a feature article for the magazine
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1047:20th-century South African male singers
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726:"isiZulu.net – Zulu-English dictionary"
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593:
591:
589:
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475:1939: Sengiyofela Pesheya/Ziyekele Mama
453:1938: Ngqo Ngqongo Vula/Ngi Boni Sebeni
397:movie and stage musical without paying
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521:
437:
831:
694:"Gallo Golden Anniversary: 1926-1976"
670:"Imbube: The Career of Solomon Linda"
653:, 25 May 2000. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
1062:Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga
1052:20th-century South African musicians
942:The World: Global Hit: Solomon Linda
787:"Mbube: Linda's Lion sleeps at last"
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639:
637:
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331:
324:Trio was the more successful in the
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231:After Linda started working at the
167:Solomon Popoli Linda was born near
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876:"It's a Lawsuit, a Mighty Lawsuit"
351:In 2000, South African journalist
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884:. 25 October 2004. Archived from
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832:Blair, David (30 October 2004).
741:British Hit Singles & Albums
173:Umzinyathi District Municipality
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655:ColdType Press, September 2003.
171:, on the labor reserve Msinga,
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962:, Thursday, 16 February 2006.
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472:1939: Sangena Mama/Sohlangana
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1042:South African male composers
713:ReMastered: The Lion's Share
142:", and gave its name to the
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1067:Musicians from Johannesburg
603:, London: Routledge, 2004.
568:University of Chicago Press
456:1939: Ntombi Ngangiyeshela
450:1938: Makasani/Mfo Ka Linda
10:
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1027:Deaths from kidney failure
998:-compatible media player].
105:Musician, singer, composer
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1072:Singers from Johannesburg
765:"Solomon Linda Biography"
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970:The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
492:1942: Ngazula Emagumeni
485:1940: Sigonde 'Mnambiti
466:1939: Mbube/Ngi Hambile
86:Republic of South Africa
739:Roberts, David (2006).
391:The Walt Disney Company
318:The Lion Sleeps Tonight
157:Ladysmith Black Mambazo
140:The Lion Sleeps Tonight
1057:20th-century composers
560:Erlmann, Veit (1996).
385:Lawsuit and settlement
285:. Seeger retitled it "
228:
47:Background information
951:National Public Radio
937:PBS: The Lion's Trail
220:
155:later popularized by
41:Solomon Linda in 1941
20:Pomeroy, South Africa
233:Gallo Record Company
125:Solomon Popoli Linda
114:Gallo Record Company
537:(UK), 11 June 2000.
463:1939: Yetulisigqoko
438:Partial discography
793:on 24 January 2007
494:(recorded c. 1941)
487:(recorded c. 1939)
480:(recorded c. 1940)
468:(recorded c. 1938)
458:(recorded c. 1938)
314:George David Weiss
238:Italian immigrant
229:
922:pdf of full issue
609:978-0-415-33270-5
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488:
482:/Basibizalonkizwe
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478:1940: Jerusalema
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444:The Evening Birds
332:Illness and death
303:The Kingston Trio
221:Sound sample of "
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199:the Evening Birds
185:izingoma zomshado
134:("Linda" was his
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75:(aged 52–53)
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890:. Retrieved
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73:(1962-09-08)
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1037:Zulu people
1022:1962 deaths
1017:1909 births
892:14 February
797:14 February
566:. Chicago:
347:Rediscovery
322:Karl Denver
283:The Weavers
279:Pete Seeger
262:Pass Office
163:Early years
144:Mbube style
1011:Categories
990:Sample of
966:Mark Steyn
504:References
353:Rian Malan
310:The Tokens
295:"uyimbube"
275:Alan Lomax
269:Alan Lomax
240:Eric Gallo
152:a cappella
769:AOL Music
699:Billboard
489:/Bhamporo
399:royalties
305:in 1959.
293:refrain,
177:Ladysmith
136:clan name
82:Transvaal
840:. London
992:"Mbube"
979:Discogs
844:14 June
818:Netflix
287:Wimoweh
210:"Mbube"
181:amahubo
169:Pomeroy
58:Pomeroy
747:
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613:p. 271
607:
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110:Labels
92:Genres
985:Media
672:, in
224:Mbube
894:2007
881:Time
859:and
846:2007
799:2007
745:ISBN
678:ISBN
605:ISBN
572:ISBN
183:and
68:Died
55:1909
52:Born
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415:CEO
379:PBS
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281:of
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
