Pick of the Week - August Msarurgwa ("Skokiaan") (Zimbabwe)

A jaunty Zimbabwean instrumental that's been covered by a horde of artists, from Bill Haley to The Wiggles

I'm not going to tackle the long and involved story of the song "Skokiaan." That's probably a topic better suited for a very long article or short book. The list of cover versions at the song's Wiki page is a whopper.

Things got underway with August Msarurgwa, who wrote the song and was leader of a group called African Dance Band of the Cold Storage Commission of Southern Rhodesia (once upon a time, Zimbabwe was known as Southern Rhodesia).

Details are a bit sketchy regarding the first recording, but it seems that Msarurgwa and his band first recorded it in 1950 - although the year 1947 is often cited.

By the time the Fifties rolled around, the song was off and running. Not unlike the South African song, "Mbube" or "Wimoweh", by Solomon Linda. Which is probably better known in a version called "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

As with any song, not all cover versions are created equally. Here's a 1954 version of "Skokiaan" by The Four Lads that added vocals and changed things around quite a bit. It was a huge hit, but pardon me for saying that it makes me cringe a bit.

Here's a recording of what claims to be the original.