Made $15M Off His Song—He Died With $22 Solomon Linda (1909-1962) was a Zulu migrant worker and musician in Johannesburg, South Africa who created one of the most famous melodies in history—yet died in poverty while others made millions. In 1939, Linda and his group The Evening Birds recorded "Mbube" (meaning "lion" in Zulu), which sold over 100,000 copies and founded the mbube/isicathamiya choral tradition. Linda sold the worldwide rights to Gallo Records for ten shillings (approximately $70 in