It reached the top ten on the Billboard charts in 1952. He named his version Wimoweh, a misheard version of the original chorus Uyimbube (you are a lion). Mitch Margo died on November 24, 2017, at Studio City, California, aged 70. What does the word Wimoweh mean He adapted the song for his band The Weavers, keeping the chanted chorus and a version of Linda’s improvised melody. John “Jay” Traynor died on January 2, 2014, of liver cancer at a hospital in Tampa, Florida, aged 70.

His ashes are buried in Stockport Borough cemetery. What happened to Carl Denver?ĭenver died from a brain tumour in December 1998, at the age of 67. Are the tokens still alive?ĭid Karl Denver record The Lion Sleeps Tonight?ĭenver claimed to have discovered the song in South Africa during his days as a seaman but it had already been a hit in the hands of American folk group The Weavers, and The Tokens had re-recorded it with new lyrics as The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Traditionally performed a cappella, the members of the group are male although a few groups have a female singer. Mbube is a form of South African vocal music, made famous by the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The Margo brothers are still actively recording and touring and they perform as the Tokens featuring Mitch and Phil Margo. The Tokens have reformed and toured at various times over the years, including a doo-wop revival show in which they performed at Radio City Music Hall in 1981. WELLS: Well, let me tell you a funny story about “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The arrangers and producers called Anita in to record with this new group called The Tokens. SIEGEL: And that’s Lynda Wells, who was friends with Anita Darian for nearly 50 years. It is the floating voice of Anita Darian. Who is the female singer with the Tokens? How do you pronounce Wimoweh?īreak ‘wimoweh’ down into sounds: + + – say it out loud and exaggerate the sounds until you can consistently produce them. Linda’s original was written in Zulu, while the English version’s lyrics were written by George David Weiss. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” is a song originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda under the title “Mbube” for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939.

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Where did the song in the jungle the mighty jungle come from? The references to the lion sleeping were a coded message that British rule would not defeat the Zulu people, who would one day wake up.) The Weavers recorded many popularized versions of folk songs of indeterminate origin, which was why they created the pseudonym “Paul Campbell,” to hold those songwriter royalties. What is the meaning of The Lion Sleeps Tonight? He named his version “Wimoweh”, a misheard version of the original chorus “Uyimbube” (“you are a lion”). He adapted the song for his band The Weavers, keeping the chanted chorus and a version of Linda’s improvised melody.

Who is the female singer with the Tokens?.

What is the meaning of The Lion Sleeps Tonight?.

Wimoweh means