![]() Solomon Linda (on far L) and the Evening Birds ![]() And here are the Evening Birds looking very dapper indeed (Linda is on the far left). The Wikipedia article describes them as “ a very cool urban act that wears pinstriped suits, bowler hats and dandy two-tone shoes“. They gained a regional following from their performances at the Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg. Linda headed a choir group called the Evening Birds, made up of boyhood friends from his hometown of Pomeroy. Influenced by the new syncopated music that had been introduced into South Africa from the US during the 1880s, he included it in the Zulu songs he and his friends sang at weddings and feasts. He attended the Gordon Memorial mission school where he learned somewhat about Western musical culture, hymns, and choir contests in which he participated. Was familiar with the traditions of amahubo and izingoma zomtshado (wedding songs) music. Our story begins in South Africa in the 1930s, where Zulu musician Solomon Linda was trying to establish himself in the Ladysmith area of Natal. It also touches on the issue of intellectual property rights – who “owns” the rights to a song, particularly as it crosses from one country to another, or when it can be classified as a folk or traditional song? It provides insight into the way songs are transformed as they move from one culture to another. Hello there! This edition of Tim’s Cover Story tells the fascinating story of a song that originated as a popular tune in South Africa in the 1930s, then morphed into a folk classic in the 50s and finally emerged as a #1 rock song in 1963.
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