Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revisions - October 7, 2026
This pancocojams post provides information about the South African song "Mbube" (also known as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and "Wimoweh").
This post also showcases seven YouTube examples of "Mbube" (also known as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and "Wimoweh").
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Solomon Linda for writing "Mbube". Thanks to Solomon Linda & The Evening Birds for recording this song in 1938, Thanks to all of the other vocalists who are showcased in these YouTube examples and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. w Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "MBUBE"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_Sleeps_Tonight
..."History
"Mbube" (Zulu for "lion") was written in
the 1920s by Solomon Linda,[2] a South African singer of Zulu origin, who later
worked for the Gallo Record Company in Johannesburg as a cleaner and record
packer. He spent his weekends performing with the Evening Birds, a musical
ensemble, and it was at Gallo Records, under the direction of producer
Griffiths Motsieloa, that Linda and his fellow musicians recorded several
songs, including "Mbube", which incorporated a call-response pattern
common among many Sub-Saharan African ethnic groups, including the Zulu.
According to journalist Rian Malan:
"Mbube" wasn't the most remarkable tune, but there was something compelling about the underlying chant, a dense meshing of low male voices above which Solomon yodelled and howled for two exhilarating minutes, improvising occasionally. The third take was the best, achieving immortality when Solly took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and improvised the melody that the world now associates with these words:
Issued by Gallo as a 78-rpm phonograph record in 1939,[3]
and marketed to black audiences, "Mbube" became a hit and Linda a
star throughout South Africa. By 1948, the song had sold over 100,000 copies in
Africa and among black South African immigrants in Great Britain. Linda also
lent its name to a style of African a cappella music that evolved into
isicathamiya (also called mbube), popularized by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.[4]
In 1949, Alan Lomax, then working as folk music director for
Decca Records, brought Solomon Linda's 78 recording to the attention of his
friend Pete Seeger of the folk group The Weavers. In November 1951, after
having performed the song for at least a year in their concerts, The Weavers
recorded an adapted version with brass and string orchestra and chorus and
released it as a 78 single titled "Wimoweh", a mishearing of the
original song's chorus of "Uyimbube", Zulu: You are a lion. Their
version contained the chanting chorus "Wimoweh" and Linda's
improvised melodic line. The Weavers credited the song as
"Traditional", with arrangement by "Paul Campbell", later
found to be a pseudonym used by the Weavers in order to claim royalties.[5] It
reached Billboard's top ten and became a staple of The Weavers' live
repertoire, achieving further exposure on their best-selling The Weavers at
Carnegie Hall LP album, recorded in 1955 and issued in 1957. The song was also
covered extensively by other folk revival groups such as The Kingston Trio, and
exotica singer Yma Sumac. However, Miriam Makeba, in 1960, recorded the same
song as "Mbube", with the writing credit given to "J.
Linda".[5]"...
-snip-
Continue reading that Wikipedia article for more information about this song and click https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/the-lion-sleeps-tonight.html for the article entitled "The Lion Sleeps Tonight — written by a Zulu migrant worker,
made famous by Disney" As the song hit the big-time, its composer’s daughters had
to fight for their father’s writing credit
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SOME RECORDED EXAMPLES OF "MBUBE" (also known as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and "Wimoweh")
These examples are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube.
SHOWCASE VIDEO #1- Solomon Linda & The Evening Birds – Mbube the original
version, origin of The Lion Sleeps Tonight
FLORENCOM, Nov 7, 2007
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrrQT4WkbNE
Discover the original Zulu recording that became the
foundation of The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Mbube, recorded in 1939 by Solomon Linda & The Evening
Birds, is one of the key early recordings of South African vocal music that
later influenced the international circulation of The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Captured in Johannesburg by Gallo Record Company, this recording reflects the
characteristic features of early urban Zulu choral performance: cyclical
structure, dense male vocal textures, and improvised falsetto leading lines.
The group—Solomon Linda, Gilbert Madondo, Boy Sibiya, Gideon
Mkhize, Samuel Mlangeni, and Owen Sikhakhane—were part of the early development
of what would later be associated with isicathamiya, a style that continued to
evolve in different directions throughout the 20th century and was later
popularized globally by ensembles such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
From a regional success in South Africa to a globally
adapted melody, this recording represents an important starting point in one of
the most widely reinterpreted songs in modern music history.
At FLORENCOM, this capsule belongs to the series Mbube in
Original Key, which traces the historical and musical development of a melody
that moved across genres, languages, and cultural contexts. 🎧
The roar begins here. We follow its echo.
For further historical context on the transformation of
Mbube into later adaptations, this external research source may be useful:
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2-Ladysmith Black Mambazo – The Lion Sleeps Tonight | Banda
sonora de Coming to America (1988)
FLORENCOM, Jan 23, 2008
#ComingToAmerica #TheLionSleepsTonight #LadysmithBlackMambazo
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3- The Weavers-Wimoweh
Rory O'Bannion, Sep 16, 2010
Pete Seeger takes the lead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77VUYPVMtWY
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #4 - Soweto Gospel Choir - The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Doc Rudy | Soul Studios, Dec 23, 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp0O40IVEPY&list=RDKp0O40IVEPY&start_radio=1&rv=Kp0O40IVEPY
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #5 -Timon & Pumbaa: The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Song)
Tandpfan, Jan 29, 2012
All rights go to Disney, I do not own these videos.
Timon and Pumbaa sing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", unaware that a real lion (Simba) is wide awake and following them. Features Rafiki
Original air date: September 16, 1995
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAgawhaAaeo
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #6-Miriam Makeba - Mbube (Live, 1963)
Spiked Candy, Jun 27, 2020
Miriam Makeba performs Mbube live on Ce soir à Cannes, May
18, 1963.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #7 -The Tokens - The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) 1961 Full HD
Colorized
Nowy, Jul 1, 2023
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens (also known
as "A-Wimoweh" or "In the jungle, the mighty jungle") is a
1961 song, this video was recorded from TV show "Studio Uno" on RAI 1
Italy on February 5, 1963.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM6cQzeqT5k
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