Who sings The Lion Sleeps Tonight original version?

Solomon Linda
“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.

Who sang The Lion Sleeps Tonight in the 70s?

The Tokens earn a #1 hit with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – HISTORY.

How many versions of The Lion Sleeps Tonight are there?

In 1961, producers Hugo & Luigi hired Brill Building tunesmith George David Weiss to add lyrics to “Wimoweh” and it became “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” a No. 1 hit for the Tokens. Within two years, there had been over 150 cover versions worldwide, in languages from Japanese to Finnish.

What is the meaning behind the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight?

It is said that its writer, Solomon Linda and his homeys used to actually chase away lions who wanted to use cattle they owned as prey. And those pursuits serve as the basis of the lyrical composition of this song. Most of it seems to be praising the lion itself.

Did the tokens have any other hits besides The Lion Sleeps Tonight?

1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1961 and remained there for three weeks. The Tokens’ other hits in the 1960s included “Tonight I Fell in Love,” “I Hear Trumpets Blow,” “Portrait of My Love” and “He’s in Town,” but clearly, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” was their most famous tune.

Who was Pete Seeger And what did he have to do with the history of this song?

Seeger was a prime mover in the folk revival that transformed popular music in the 1950s. As a member of the Weavers, he sang hits including Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene” — which reached No. 1 — and “If I Had a Hammer,” which he wrote with the group’s Lee Hays.

Did tight fit actually sing The Lion Sleeps Tonight?

Tight Fit is an English pop group which had several hits in the early 1980s, including a UK No. 1 for three weeks with their cover version of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in 1982.

How old are the Tokens?

John “Jay” Traynor died of liver cancer on January 2, 2014, at a hospital in Tampa, Florida, aged 70. Mitch Margo died of natural causes on November 24, 2017, at Studio City, California, also aged 70. Philip Margo died of a stroke on November 13, 2021, at a hospital in Los Angeles, aged 79.

Does Jay Siegel still perform?

Siegel continues to perform with his own version of the Tokens as well, featuring bass singer Bill Reid and, more recently, John “Jay” Traynor, the original lead singer (before Jay Black) of Jay & the Americans and the Mystics. Siegel’s son is also part of the group as keyboardist and occasional vocalist.