In 1961, the Tokens, a Brooklyn doo-wop group produced a unlikely hit song.

Lead singer Jay Siegal had an interest in the burgeoning folk
music scene and was attracted to a South Africa Zulu folk song,
"Wimoweh", performed by Miriam Makeba and the Weavers. The
Tokens were so embarrassed by their version of the song,
containing new words and a striking arrangement highlighted
by Siegal's falsetto, that they didn't want it released. But
their label, RCA and the nation's teen- agers disagreed and the
song soared to No. 1 as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
--Joe Sasfy, Time Life Music

Nabuk