![]() He liked what he heard and transcribed the music from the record to make his own song, which he called Wimoweh (a corruption of the Zulu lyrics, Uyimbube, or "he is the lion"). In the early 1950s the recording of Mbube released by Gallo Records, already a good seller in South Africa, found its way to America and came to the attention of Pete Seeger, the folksinger. This is the story of the legal battle to claim back for Linda’s children a share in the proceeds from their father’s creation. Linda´s role in the song´s creation is undisputed, but he died a pauper, leaving his family too poor even to afford a headstone for his grave. ![]() It has earned by some estimates over $15 million in composer royalties. More than 150 different artists have recorded it and it features in at least 15 movies and musicals. There are versions in French, Japanese, Spanish, Danish and many other languages. The English-speaking world knows it as the central theme from the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. On the third take, Linda came up with a haunting skein of notes that went on to become the most famous melody ever to emerge from Africa. In l939, a Zulu migrant worker and entertainer who called himself Solomon Linda stood before a microphone in Johannesburg’s first recording studio, improvising falsetto vocal lines against a rolling, driving vocal chant. Dean personally directed the litigation on behalf of the Linda family. Hot on the heels of the settlement in "The Lion Sleeps" copyright case, this first hand account was written for WIPO Magazine by leading South African copyright expert, Dr. Solomon Linda (left) and his band, the Evening Birds February 2006, Linda's descendants reached a legal settlement with Abilene Music Publishers, who had licensed the song to Disney to place the song's earnings in a trust.Copyright in the Courts: The Return of the Lion During this same time the Richmond Organization began paying $3000 annually to Linda’s Estate because Howie Richmond copyrighted the song in the US. July 2004, the song became the subject of a lawsuit between Linda's estate and Disney, claiming that Disney owed $1.6 million in royalties. ![]() ORIGINAL WIMOWEH MOVIEIn 2000 Rian Malan (South African journalist) wrote an article for Rolling Stones telling the Solomon Linda story and stated that the song had earned an estimated $15 million just from the Disney movie The Lion King. ![]() Americans maintained that South African copyrights were not valid because South Africa was not a signatory to U.S. The group Tight Fit version became a number 1 hit in 1982 in the UK.Īlthough Solomon Linda was the original writer and Solomon Linda and The Evening Birds performed and recorded this song originally called “Mbube”, he was only paid $1000 because he was acknowledged as the author. However, in 1961 the song became a number 1 hit in the United States after the Tokens changed it into a doo-wap version called” The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” This version of the song earned millions in royalties from cover versions and film licensing. The Weavers renamed the song “Wimoweh,” Jimmy Dorsey, Yma Sumac, Miriam Makeba, and the Kingston Trio. During the 1950s and 1960s, many pop and folk artists changed and covered the song like Henri Salvador. The original version was written and performed in Zulu and then written in English by George David Weiss. Everyone has heard the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” but what is not publicized is that the original song was titled “Mbube”, written and recorded by Solomon Linda in 1939 for the South African Gallo Record Company. ![]()
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