Mbube
Mbube is a Zulu choral singing style from South Africa, emerging in the 1930s-40s. The term means “lion” in Zulu and refers to strong, powerful vocal harmonies. Mbube is the foundation of isicathamiya and South African mbalax.
The title Mbube (1939), composed and sung by Solomon Linda and the group Evening Birds, later became The Lion Sleeps Tonight (with adaptations by Alan Lomax, Pete Seeger, and others). Ladysmith Black Mambazo performs pieces in mbube AND isicathamiya styles.
