Person

Solomon Linda

1909–1962 · 20th century · Also known as Solomon Popoli Linda, Solomon Ntsele

Solomon Linda was a South African singer and composer from Natal whose song Mbube, improvised in a Johannesburg recording studio in 1939 with his group the Evening Birds, reshaped the isicathamiya style of choral singing. A migrant worker in Johannesburg, he introduced a falsetto lead voice over several bass singers. Mbube reportedly sold more than 100,000 copies in South Africa, but Linda had sold his rights to Eric Gallo for ten shillings. The Weavers recorded it as Wimoweh in 1951 and the Tokens as The Lion Sleeps Tonight in 1961, neither crediting him. He died poor in 1962; after his family sued Disney in 2004, a settlement gave them royalties and him a cowriting credit.

Solomon Linda
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Songs in history

Mbube1939The Lion Sleeps Tonight1961

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Solomon Linda. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/solomon-linda
MLA
“Solomon Linda.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/solomon-linda. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Solomon Linda.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/solomon-linda.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Solomon Linda’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/solomon-linda (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻