Lebo M
Encyclopedia
Lebohang “Lebo M.” Morake, known professionally as Lebo M, is a South Africa
n composer
most famous for arranging and performing music for the Lion King
movies and stage productions. He was recommended to Disney
by Hans Zimmer
, the score composer of The Lion King, and was later hired to form and conduct the African choir that sang for the movies. His voice is the first voice heard in the beginning of the film, singing the now famous chant (often considered synonymous with the film's image in popular culture
) over the opening sequence. He also contributed to the sequel to the film's soundtrack, Rhythm of the Pride Lands
, and the film's direct-to-video sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
.
and inspired by Nelson Mandela
, he spent years working hard in the slums and then in Los Angeles
in a variety of jobs, including begging and serving at McDonald's
. He was exiled from South Africa
in 1979, but returned 20 years later. He lives with his family in Johannesburg
and Los Angeles. He founded the Lebo M Foundation and Till Dawn Entertainment.
“I found it unfortunate that I produced the biggest show in South Africa and am in the last row. I feel insulted. I got invited to the Oscars and I have a Grammy,” Lebo M said in his acceptance speech. The response
attained was one of uncertainty, as much of the audience accepted that he was joking until he informed them that he was not.
The comments were not well met. Nicola Danby, CEO of Business and Arts South Africa, said: “His timing was not fantastic. The fact that he opened a real grievance with a whine about where he was sitting trivialised his comments."
It was argued that Lebo M did have a seat reserved for him in the front row, and that he failed to arrive early and was seated at the back as not to disrupt the performance.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
most famous for arranging and performing music for the Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
movies and stage productions. He was recommended to Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
by Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
, the score composer of The Lion King, and was later hired to form and conduct the African choir that sang for the movies. His voice is the first voice heard in the beginning of the film, singing the now famous chant (often considered synonymous with the film's image in popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
) over the opening sequence. He also contributed to the sequel to the film's soundtrack, Rhythm of the Pride Lands
Rhythm of the Pride Lands
Rhythm of the Pride Lands is an audio CD released on February 28, 1995 by The Walt Disney Company, a "sequel" to the original motion picture soundtrack of the animated film The Lion King. The CD, was originally an independent project developed by Jay Rifkin and Lebo M and included songs and...
, and the film's direct-to-video sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated film released by Walt Disney Home Video on October 27, 1998. The film is the sequel to the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King...
.
Biography
Born May 20, 1964 in Apartheid-ridden SowetoSoweto
Soweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
and inspired by Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, he spent years working hard in the slums and then in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in a variety of jobs, including begging and serving at McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
. He was exiled from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1979, but returned 20 years later. He lives with his family in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
and Los Angeles. He founded the Lebo M Foundation and Till Dawn Entertainment.
Filmography
Lebo M has composed, arranged, performed and produced music for the following films:- The Lion KingThe Lion KingThe Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
(soundtrackThe Lion King (soundtrack)The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the original motion picture soundtrack for Walt Disney's 1994, 32nd animated feature The Lion King. It contains songs from the film written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score composed by Hans Zimmer. Elton John has a dual role of performer...
) - The Lion King II: Simba's PrideThe Lion King II: Simba's PrideThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated film released by Walt Disney Home Video on October 27, 1998. The film is the sequel to the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King...
- The Lion King 1½The Lion King 1½The Lion King 1½ is a 2004 American direct-to-video animated film released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment on February 10, 2004. The film is the third installment in the Lion King series. The DVD went to the Disney Vault in January 2005...
- The Lion King (musical)The Lion King (musical)The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...
- singer at One by One - The Power of OneThe Power of OneThe Power of One is a novel by Bryce Courtenay, first published in 1989. Set in South Africa during the 1930s and 1940s, it tells the story of an Anglo-African boy who, through the course of the story, acquires the nickname of Peekay. The Power of One is a novel by Bryce Courtenay, first published...
- DinosaurDinosaur (film)Dinosaur is a 2000 American computer-animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on May 19, 2000, and is the 39th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
- Disney's Animal KingdomDisney's Animal KingdomDisney's Animal Kingdom is an animal theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The fourth park built at the resort, it opened on April 22, 1998, and it is the largest single Disney theme park in the world, covering more than . It is also the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely...
: The First Adventure - Tears of the SunTears of the SunTears of the Sun is a 2003 American war film, depicting a United States Navy SEAL team rescue mission amidst a civil war in the West African country of Nigeria. Lt. A.K. Waters commands the team sent to rescue U.S. citizen Dr. Lena Fiore Kendricks from the civil war en route to her jungle hospital...
- Back on the BlockBack on the BlockBack on the Block is a 1989 studio album produced by Quincy Jones. It features many famous and important musicians and singers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Barry White,...
- The Color PurpleThe Color PurpleThe Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. It received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction...
- Listen Up: The Life of Quincy JonesQuincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
- OutbreakOutbreak (film)Outbreak is a 1995 American disaster film starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey. The film was directed by Wolfgang Petersen. In addition, Outbreak features Cuba Gooding, Jr., Donald Sutherland, and Patrick Dempsey....
- Made In AmericaMade in America (film)Made in America is a 1993 comedy film released on May 28, 1993 by Warner Bros. starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson, and featuring Nia Long, Jennifer Tilly and Will Smith.-Plot:...
- CongoCongo (film)Congo is a 1995 action adventure film, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It was directed by Frank Marshall and stars Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, Tim Curry, Ernie Hudson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Grant Heslov, and Joe Don Baker. The film was released on June 9, 1995 by...
- Born to Be WildBorn to Be Wild"Born to Be Wild" is a rock song written by Mars Bonfire and made famous by the Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. It is often used in popular culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude...
- Long Night's Journey Into DayLong Night's Journey into DayLong Night's Journey Into Day is a 2000 American documentary film about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post-Apartheid South Africa. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-External links:...
Controversy
On 5 March 2005, Lebo M said in his acceptance speech at the Naledi Theatre Awards that he was upset at being seated at the back row of the function and that the theatre industry did not recognise black people.“I found it unfortunate that I produced the biggest show in South Africa and am in the last row. I feel insulted. I got invited to the Oscars and I have a Grammy,” Lebo M said in his acceptance speech. The response
attained was one of uncertainty, as much of the audience accepted that he was joking until he informed them that he was not.
The comments were not well met. Nicola Danby, CEO of Business and Arts South Africa, said: “His timing was not fantastic. The fact that he opened a real grievance with a whine about where he was sitting trivialised his comments."
It was argued that Lebo M did have a seat reserved for him in the front row, and that he failed to arrive early and was seated at the back as not to disrupt the performance.
External links
- Official site
- Biography at Walt Disney Records