A Lion's Trail "The Lion Sleeps Tonight” is one of the most recognizable pop songs in the world. But how many people realize that this American hit tune was actually written by Solomon Linda, a Zulu musician who never earned a cent in royalties and died in poverty? Directed by award-winning filmmaker François Verster, A LION'S TRAIL traces the music back to its original source, telling the story of how the Zulu song "Mbube" was transcribed by American folk singer Pete Seeger into "Wimoweh," finally gaining international recognition as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Verster began work on A LION’S TRAIL in 1999, when a South African TV show asked him to make a film about how “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” originated as an African song - a fact that came as a surprise to him. Once Verster began researching the original composition, he quickly became fascinated with the story behind the music. A friend gave him an audiocassette from Pete Seeger’s nephew that contained 21 versions of the same song. Verster was amazed at how these variations could all be traced back to Linda’s original four-chord tune. Solomon Linda first composed “Mbube” in the 1920s and recorded it at South Africa’s Gallo Records in 1939, after he moved to Johannesburg and began work as a record packer. Years later, Pete Seeger heard Linda’s song on a recording and Anglicized “Mbube” into “Wimoweh” in a new rendition with The Weavers. In 1961, the New York-based pop band The Tokens worked with composer George Weiss to re-title and re-record the song as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” which soon became one of the most recorded pop songs in the world. Today, almost all international rights on the song are held by Americans - principally by George David Weiss. Apartheid denied South African blacks copyrights for their own work, and Solomon Linda died a pauper in the early 1960s. Today, his daughters remain poor in Soweto, South Africa, fighting Weiss and other copyright owners for their father’s fair share of the profits. South African journalist Rian Malan, who appears in the film, continues to champion their cause in the media. While exploring the moral and legal issues around the song, A LION'S TRAIL is also a vibrant and joyous celebration of the heritage of African music. Versions of the song are performed by musicians across the globe, including the Manhattan Brothers, Solomon Linda's daughters, Pete Seeger and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who lead the Church of God in Africa in the South African town of Clermont. By combining stunning visuals with powerful musical performances, A LION’S TRAIL not only opens up the debate surrounding the origins of “Mbube” itself, but also reveals the controversies regarding copyright and ownership in the global music industry. Director François Verster filmed A LION’S TRAIL during 2001 and 2002. In March 2005, he reported: Things seem to be looking up for the Ntsele family [Solomon Linda's daughters]: Gallo Records decided at the time the film was being made to cede all further income on “Mbube” to the family. South Africa’s top copyright lawyer has taken up the case and, with the family’s lawyer has successfully attached Disney’s trademarks in South Africa; the case will go to court later this year. The Richmond Organization has announced that they will give future income on “Wimoweh” to the family. Everyone in South Africa now seems to know the story, and there has also been a huge amount of interest and support from all over the world following the film, Rian Malan’s Rolling Stone article and various further articles in the international press. Meet some of the people featured in A LION’S TRAIL. Rian Malan An award-winning author and journalist, Malan grew up in Johannesburg. He lived in the U.S. for several years in the 1980s, refusing to serve in South Africa’s Apartheid-era army. He is the author of My Traitor’s Heart, about life, death and race in South Africa, as well as the 2000 Rolling Stone article that exposed the controversy behind the “Mbube” copyright. He is still campaigning for justice for the Linda family. Joe Mogotsi Mogotsi, the leader singer and composer of The Manhattan Brothers, is one of South Africa’s best-known performers. He founded The Manhattan Brothers in the 1950s. The group later toured the world, performing at Nelson Mandela’s presidential inauguration in 1994. Mogotsi left South Africa for England following a London musical performance in the 1960s, and returned to his home country in the late 1990s, after more than 30 years in exile. His return was the subject of the documentary Songs of the Golden City. Adelaide Nelisiwe After a prolonged illness, Linda’s daughter Nelisiwe died in June 2001. Delphi Ntsele A daughter of Solomon Linda, Ntsele was born and raised in South Africa. She is currently a domestic worker in the suburbs of Johannesburg. Elizabeth Ntsele One of Solomon Linda’s daughters, Ntsele works as a nurse at an HIV clinic in Soweto, South Africa.Fildah Ntsele A daughter of Solomon Linda, Ntsele is a mother, grandmother and sangoma, or traditional healer in South Africa. Pete Seeger Seeger is one of American’s best-known folk musicians, and has popularized renditions of folk classics such as “If I Had a Hammer,” “We Shall Overcome” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” A lifelong performer and activist, he first formed The Almanac Singers with Woody Guthrie in the late 1930s. In the 1940s, he formed The Weavers, a folk group who performed the hit “Mbube” variation “Wimoweh.” Seeger also established the Clearwater Project, an environmental educational center on his beloved Hudson River. Joseph Shabalala Born in Ladysmith, South Africa, Shabalala has been singing and playing guitar since he was a teenager, performing with a group called the Devan Choir. In 1964, he formed Ladysmith Black Mambazo, an all-male isicathamiya singing group featuring friends and family members from his hometown. Since then the group has recorded more then 40 albums and sold millions of copies worldwide, making it the best-selling musical group from Africa. Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s collaboration with Paul Simon on his Graceland album bought Zulu isicathamiya singing to America and to other new audiences. Jay Siegel Along with Neil Sedaka, Siegel first joined the group that would be later known as The Tokens at his Brooklyn high school in 1956. The group’s first hit, in 1960, was “Tonight I Fell In Love,” but it is best known for its 1961 song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Siegel and The Tokens later released several other top 40 songs in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, Siegel still tours with a newly revamped version of The Tokens, performing with his son Jared on keyboards. George David Weiss Born in New York City, Weiss studied at Julliard and played the violin in several dance bands before beginning his composing career in the 1940s. His best-known composing credits include “What A Wonderful World,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and scores for Broadway musicals including Sammy Davis, Jr.’s Mr. Wonderful. A former president of the Songwriters Guild of America, Weiss suffered a stroke in recent years. (Weiss refused to participate in the making of the film.)
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