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"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and first recorded in 1939 by Solomon Linda [2] under the title "Mbube", [3] through South African Gallo Record Company. In 1961, a version adapted into English by the doo-wop group the Tokens became a number-one hit in the United States.
The Tokens were an American doo-wop band and record production company group from Brooklyn, New York City. [1] The group has had four top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, all in the 1960s, their biggest being the chart-topping 1961 hit single "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", which borrowed heavily from the 1939 song "Mbube" by South African singer Solomon Linda.
Darian also sang the female soprano portion on The Tokens' 1961 #1 hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". [3] Her high counterpoint to the lead and backup singers was an astounding merging of her operatic training. As late as 2012, she was featured in concerts honoring the Great American Songbook. [4]
Margo was a professional recording artist by the age of 14. Along with brother Phil Margo, he was a member of The Tokens.The vocal group is best known for its hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks in 1961.
Philip Frederick Margo (April 1, 1942 – November 13, 2021) was an American musician and author who was a longtime member of The Tokens, along with his brother Mitch. [1] They are best known for their hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks in 1961.
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Solomon Popoli Linda OIG (1909 [1] – 8 September 1962), also known as Solomon Ntsele ("Linda" was his clan name), [2] was a South African musician, singer and composer best known as the composer of the song "Mbube", which later became the pop music success "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", and gave its name to the Mbube style of isicathamiya a cappella later popularized by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
In the 1950s, the song had been adapted by Pete Seeger of The Weavers as "Wimoweh" and further developed in the 1961 version recorded by popular music group The Tokens, for whom it was re-written extensively by George David Weiss. This version had been retitled "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".