'Lion Sleeps Tonight' singer croaks

[DesertFox]

Hank Medress, whose vocals with the doo wop group the Tokens helped propel their irrepressible single "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" to the top of the charts and who produced hits with other groups, has died of lung cancer. He was 68.

Medress died Monday at his Manhattan home, relatives said.

He was a teenager at Brooklyn's Lincoln High School when he launched his vocal quartet in 1955 with Neil Sedaka, performing as the Linc-Tones. When Sedaka departed for a successful solo career, lead singer Jay Siegel joined brothers Mitch and Phil Margo and Medress to become the Tokens.


Moah (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBIT_MEDRESS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=news_generic.htm)

[Timberwolf]

RIP, Hank.

...that song brings back some very good memories from my childhood.

[DesertFox]

Yep. I think that song came out in 63, when I's 14 and in lust with the gal on the far enda town. We'd get together and screech that song into the night, howling like banshees. Lucky it was a small town or we might notta made it to adulthood.

[Timberwolf]

LOL!!

It was still popular in the late 60s/early 70s...in fact, I still howl like a banshee when I hear it on the radio. :biggrin:

[DesertFox]

Every time my family has a reunion someone starts weemawupping and we all enthusiastically join in. We don't sound a whole lot like the original, but we do get a lotta dogs to howling and cats to fleeing town.

[Riverboat]

I'd like to make a motion that that song be retired forever in his memory.

[M.C.]

E E E E E E E E E Aweea BUMBAWAY

Sad to hear of his passing, that song was legendary. Never good to see anyone go of cancer either. That disease needs a cure more than all the others. It greatly upsets me and everyone else.