The man who composed a global anthem but died with only forty dollars
In short: You know the melody of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight,' but you likely don't know the man who improvised it. Solomon Linda transformed South African choral music, yet he lived and died in near-total poverty, while his masterpiece became a multi-million dollar global phenomenon.
In 1939, while working as a record packer at the Gallo Record Company in Roodepoort, Solomon Linda improvised the song 'Mbube.' The track was a massive success in South Africa, selling over 100,000 copies in nine years. However, Linda's lack of literacy and understanding of royalties led to a devastating financial error: he sold the rights to the song to producer Eric Gallo for just ten shillings.
The song's journey to global stardom involved several transformations. In 1951, folk singer Pete Seeger of The Weavers released 'Wimowimweh,' a version that misheard the Zulu chorus. Later, in October 1961, the New York group The Tokens released 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight,' adding English lyrics and a modern feel. While these versions reached No. 1 on US charts and later featured in Disney's 1994 film *The Lion King*, Linda received no credit during his lifetime.
The disparity between the song's wealth and Linda's life is stark. Linda died in 1962 at age 53; his bank account held roughly $40 in today's value, and his family could not afford a tombstone. Decades later, legal battles and investigative journalism brought his story to light. In 2004, his descendants sued Disney for $1.5 million, eventually reaching a settlement with Abilene Music that granted the family a share of future income and a co-writing credit for Linda.
Beyond the royalties, Linda's musical legacy includes the evolution of the isicathamiya genre. He introduced a falsetto main voice to incorporate female textures into male singing and pioneered the use of bass singers. His group, the Evening Birds, even used pinstriped suits and bowler hats to project an image of urban sophistication.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Solomon Linda
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