Already a solo successful singer and songwriter with several Top 10 hits, this person rejoined a group to record "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and later became big again with a reworking of an earlier work, itself a hit both times. Who is it? +++++++++++++++++++++ 03-23-04, 02:27 AM Jenny Roberts Jay Siegel Group was 'The Tokens'
03-23-04, 02:47 AM DorianGreyed Sorry, Jenny. Jay doesn't meet all the conditions. Try again. A much bigger name.
03-23-04, 09:04 AM Georgia85 Can I take a stab at it? How 'bout Justin Timberlake? N*Sync did a remake of this song...
03-23-04, 11:36 AM DorianGreyed Although I don't know if Timberlake fits the question, he is not the one I am looking for. Jenny had the right version of the song.
03-23-04, 12:54 PM Sailracer Neil Sedaka
03-23-04, 01:30 PM Georgia85 Neil Sedaka was the original lead singer for The Tokens when they first formed. But sources I have found say that he did not record "Lion Sleeps Tonight"
03-23-04, 01:33 PM Georgia85 Ok, what gives? I can't even edit my own post???
Anyway, wanted to add that Racer, your answer is a good one and might be right Wink
03-23-04, 01:49 PM DorianGreyed According to my sources, SR is right. I am looking for exactly what I found online, but both of the sources gave credit to Sedaka on the hit.
Some of Sedaka's work 1956, while at Lincoln High, Sedaka formed the Linc-Tones, which became the Tokens when their first record was cut. Played chimes on "Church Bells May Ring" by the Willows. Wrote his first song, "Stupid Cupid," a hit for Connie Francis in 1958, as was his "Where the Boys Are" Recording contract with RCA Records. In 1959 he had two hits "The Diary" (#14) and "I Go Ape" (#42). More hits followed. "Oh! Carol" (#9) in 1959; "Stairway To Heaven" (#9) in 1960; "Calendar Girl" (#4), "Little Devil (#11) and "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" (#6) in 1961; Wrote the Fifth Dimension's "Working on a Groovy Thing" " Magic Colours" for Lesley Gore, "When Love Comes Knocking at Your Door" for the Monkees, "Venus In Blue Jeans" by Jimmy Clanton, "Puppet Man" for Tom Jones and and Davy Jone's "Rainy Jane" "Sedaka's Back" (album) (#23 1972) and The Hungry Years (#16) 1975) both went gold. "Laughter in the Rain", #1 hit in 1974 "Love Will Keep Us Together (co-written with Greenfield) #1 hit for the Captain and Tenille, winning a 1075 Grammy as the Record of the Year. #1 record with "Bad Blood" in 1975, which featured Elton John on backing vocals, Reworking of "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" (#8 1976) Composed more than a 1,000 tunes, including a dozen major pop hits he recorded between 1959 to 1963 that were co-authored with Howard Greenfield
I can't seem to find it, and none of the other sites confirm his singing on that hit, so I think I wrote a bad question. Sorry.
03-23-04, 02:26 PM DorianGreyed Georgia, the Tokens broke up shortly after their first few records. They reformed to do Lion. While it is true that Sedaka has gone on to bigger and better things, this was his group that he formed while in high school. While that does not mean his was on that song, it certainly doesn't mean he wasn't. What I read last night said that the original group reformed to cut that hit. Since Sedaka formed the Linc-tones, (They all attended Lincoln HS.) who were renamed the Tokens just prior to their first record, a reasonable assumption is that he was one of the original group that got back together. I will keep looking, but as I said in my last post, I may have written a bad question.
03-23-04, 03:33 PM Georgia85 Hey! You edited your last post...how is it that you can do it but I couldn't? Smile
When I responded with my two sources your post did not mention that perhaps it was a bad question. But whether it was or whether it wasn't, we've learned a little about Sedaka and about The Tokens!
03-23-04, 03:35 PM Georgia85 Nope, still can't edit. Guess that's one of the perks of being part owner of this site. You have the magic "edit" button. Don't let Sammy know Wink
03-23-04, 09:12 PM dogspit This site is a tough read, but it confirms Sedaka was not in the studio on July 21, 1961 when the Tokens recorded "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
