08/07/2020
Sit and listen to a story. A story about a musical style called Mbube. It was made popular by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and is traditionally performed acapella. The voices and rhythms join together to weave together a beautiful tapestry of intricate harmonies and textures.
In the 1930s a man named Solomon Linda (from Natal) recorded a song called "Mbube" (this means Lion in Zulu) with a group of friends calling themselves "The Evening Birds". The song was improvised and led to the genre of Mbube today.
However, this song was later taken and made famous by "The Weavers" and renamed as "Wimoweh" (an approximate phonetic rendition of Mbube) and in the 1060's recorded again by The Tokens as a new song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
Despite the popularity of his song, Solomon Linda died impoverished in 1962 without even a tombstone to mark where he was buried. The Headstone was added eighteen years later. In 2006, the Linda estate reached a settlement with Abilene Music company (who had the worldwide rights to the song) and Disney which stated that the Linda trust will receive payment for past uses of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and any future royalties for its worldwide use, Linda will be acknowledged as co-composer of the song now and in the future, the song shall be acknowledged as "Mbube" and the trust will administer the estate's copyright of "Mbube" and receive all payments due from the use of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." When you sing and hear this song, my friends, know from where it comes!
This is not a story of sorrow friends, this is one of joy and resilience. Miriam "Mama Africa" Makeba recorded "Mbube" and it is this triumphant song I wish to share with you today. Enjoy Mama Africa's version of Mbube and celebrate the world that created such beautiful music as well as those who fought to keep it alive!
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