Solomon Linda

Über Solomon Linda

Solomon Linda was a South African singer and composer whose 1939 recording Mbube, made with his group the Original Evening Birds, became one of the most famous melodies in the world. Reworked as Wimoweh and later The Lion Sleeps Tonight, the song sold millions globally while Linda died in poverty, a stark symbol of the exploitation of African musicians. His soaring falsetto lent its name to the entire mbube style of Zulu a cappella singing.