Solomon Linda — The African Composer Whose Song Roared Around the World
Solomon Popoli Linda was a South African singer, composer and musical innovator whose song “Mbube” became one of the most recognizable melodies in the world.
Millions of people know its later version as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Far fewer know that the melody originated with a Zulu laborer whose work generated international success while he and his family received little of its wealth.
Music Born in Rural South Africa
Linda was born in 1909 near Pomeroy in rural KwaZulu-Natal. He attended Gordon Memorial Mission School, where he encountered church music, choir competitions and several musical traditions. He blended those influences with Zulu songs performed at weddings and community gatherings. (South African History Online)
During the early 1930s, Linda moved to Johannesburg in search of employment. He worked in a furniture shop and later at the Carlton Hotel while developing his musical career. He eventually formed Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds, an a cappella group that became popular at weddings and competitive choir performances. (South African History Online)
The Birth of “Mbube”
In 1939, Linda entered a Johannesburg recording studio with the Evening Birds. Against the group’s deep vocal harmonies, he improvised a soaring falsetto melody and repeatedly sang the word “Mbube,” meaning “lion” in Zulu. (WIPO)
The recording became an enormous South African success. By 1949, it had reportedly sold more than 100,000 copies, making Linda a celebrated musical figure in his country. The song also helped give its name to the Mbube style of isicathamiya a cappella music. (South African History Online)