document_title: Fleetwood Mac

question_text: who is the guitar player for fleetwood mac

question_tokens: who is the guitar player for fleetwood mac

text: Fleetwood Mac

text: History[edit]

text: 1967–1970: Formation and early years[edit]

text: Fleetwood Mac was formed in July 1967 in London when Peter Green left the British blues band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Peter Green had replaced guitarist Eric Clapton in the Bluesbreakers,[8] and received critical acclaim for his work on their album A Hard Road. After he had been in the Bluesbreakers for some time, Green asked if drummer Mick Fleetwood could replace Aynsley Dunbar. Green had been in two bands with Fleetwood—Peter B's Looners and the subsequent Shotgun Express (which featured a young Rod Stewart as vocalist).[9] John Mayall agreed and Fleetwood became a member of the band.

text: The Bluesbreakers now consisted of Green, Fleetwood, John McVie and Mayall. Mayall gave Green free recording time as a gift, in which Fleetwood, McVie and Green recorded five songs. The fifth song was an instrumental which Green named after the rhythm section, "Fleetwood Mac".

text: Soon after, Green contacted Fleetwood to form a new band. The pair wanted McVie on bass guitar and even named the band 'Fleetwood Mac' as a way to entice him. However, McVie opted to keep his steady income with Mayall rather than take a risk with a new band. In the meantime, Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood teamed up with slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer and bassist Bob Brunning, who was in the band on the understanding that he would leave if McVie agreed to join. The Green, Fleetwood, Spencer, Brunning version of the band made its debut on 13 August 1967 at the Windsor Jazz and Blues Festival as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac featuring Jeremy Spencer. Brunning played only a handful of gigs with Fleetwood Mac.[10] Within weeks of this show, John McVie agreed to join the band as permanent bassist.[11][12]

text: Fleetwood Mac's first album, Fleetwood Mac, was a no-frills blues album and was released on the Blue Horizon label in February 1968.[13] In fact there were no other players on the album (except for the song "Long Grey Mare", which was recorded with Brunning on bass). The album was successful in the UK, hitting No. 4, though it did not have any singles on it. The band soon released two singles "Black Magic Woman" (later a big hit for Santana) and "Need Your Love So Bad".[14]

text: The band's second album, Mr. Wonderful, was released in August 1968. Like the first, it was an all-blues album. The album was recorded live in the studio with miked amplifiers and PA system, rather than plugged into the board.[15] They also added horns and featured a friend of the band on keyboards, Christine Perfect of Chicken Shack.[16]

text: Shortly after the release of their second album, Fleetwood Mac added guitarist Danny Kirwan, then just eighteen years old, to their line-up, recruited from the South London blues trio Boilerhouse, consisting of Kirwan on guitar with Trevor Stevens on bass and Dave Terrey on drums.[17] Green and Fleetwood had been to watch Boilerhouse rehearse in a basement boiler-room and Green was so impressed, he invited the band to play support slots for Fleetwood Mac. Green wanted Boilerhouse to become a professional band but Stevens and Terrey were not prepared to turn professional at the time, so Green sought to find another rhythm section by placing an ad in Melody Maker. There were over 300 applicants, but when Green and Fleetwood ran auditions at the Nag's Head in Battersea (home of the Mike Vernon Blue Horizon Club), the hard to please Green could not find anyone good enough to replace the pair, so he invited Kirwan to join Fleetwood Mac as their third guitarist.[18]

text: Green had been frustrated that Jeremy Spencer had little desire to contribute to Green's songs. A self-taught guitarist, Kirwan's signature vibrato and unique style added a new dimension to an already complete band. With Kirwan, the band released their first number one single in Europe, "Albatross". Around this time they released their second American album, English Rose, which contained half of Mr. Wonderful, new songs from Kirwan, and their third European album called The Pious Bird of Good Omen, which was a collection of singles, B-sides, and a selection of some work the band did with Eddie Boyd.

text: When the band went to the United States in January 1969 they recorded many songs at the soon-to-close Chess Records Studio, with some blues legends of Chicago including Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy and Otis Spann. These would prove, however, to be Fleetwood Mac's last all-blues recordings. Along with their change of style, the band was also going through some label changes. Up until this point, they had been on Blue Horizon. With Kirwan in the band, however, the musical possibilities were too great for them to stay on a blues-only label. The band signed with the Immediate Records label and released "Man of the World", another British and European hit single. For the B-side Spencer fronted Fleetwood Mac as "Earl Vince and the Valiants" and recorded "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonite", typifying the more raucous rock 'n' roll side of the band. Immediate Records was in bad shape and the band shopped around for a new deal. Even though The Beatles wanted the band on Apple Records (Mick Fleetwood and George Harrison were brothers-in-law), the band's manager Clifford Davis decided to go with Warner Bros. Records (through Reprise Records, a Frank Sinatra-founded label), the label they have stayed with ever since.

text: Fleetwood Mac's first album for Reprise, released in September 1969, was the well-regarded Then Play On. Although the initial pressing of the American release of this album was the same as the British version, it was altered to contain the song "Oh Well", which featured consistently in live performances from the time of its release through 1997, and then again starting in 2009. Then Play On, which was the band's first rock album, featured only the songs of Kirwan and Green. Jeremy Spencer, meanwhile, recorded a solo album (he was backed by the rest of the band) which consisted of many 1950s-style rock and roll songs.

text: In July 1969, Fleetwood Mac opened for Ten Years After at the Schaefer Music Festival at New York City's Wollman Rink. They re-appeared at the festival in 1970.

text: By 1970, Peter Green, the frontman of the band, was not in good health. He had taken LSD in Munich, which may have contributed to the onset of his schizophrenia.[19] German author and filmmaker Rainer Langhans mentions in his autobiography that he and Uschi Obermaier met Peter Green in Munich, where they invited him to their "High-Fish-Commune". They were not really interested in Green; they just wanted to get in contact with Mick Taylor: Langhans and Obermaier wished to organise a "Bavarian Woodstock". They wanted Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones to be the leading acts of their Bavarian open air festival. They needed Green just to get in contact with The Rolling Stones via Mick Taylor.[citation needed]

text: Green's last hit with Fleetwood Mac was "The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Prong Crown)" (first recorded at the Boston Tea Party in February 1970 and later recorded by Judas Priest). This recording was released as Green's mental stability deteriorated, and he wanted to give all of the band's money to charity. Other members of the band did not agree, and subsequently Green decided to leave the band. His last show with Fleetwood Mac was on 20 May 1970. During that show, the band went past their allotted time and the power was shut off, although Mick Fleetwood kept drumming. Some of the Boston Tea Party recordings (5/6/7 February 1970) were eventually released in the 1980s as the Live in Boston album, with a more complete remastered 3-volume compilation released by Snapper Music in the late 1990s.

text: 1970–1974: Transitional era[edit]

text: Kirwan and Spencer were left with the task of having to fill up Green's space in their live shows and on their recordings. In September 1970, Fleetwood Mac released Kiln House. Kirwan's songs moved the band in the direction of rock. Meanwhile, Spencer's contributions focused on re-creating the country-tinged "Sun Sound" of the late 1950s. Christine Perfect, who had retired from the music business after one unsuccessful solo album, contributed to Kiln House, singing backup vocals, playing keyboards and drawing the album cover. Since Fleetwood Mac were progressing and developing a new sound, Perfect was asked to join the band. They also released a single at that time; "Dragonfly" b/w "The Purple Dancer" in the UK and certain European countries. Despite good notices in the press, the single was not a success and the B-side has been reissued only once, on a Reprise German and Dutch-only "Best of" album, making it one of their most obscure songs.

text: Christine Perfect, who by this point had married bassist John McVie, made her first appearance with the band as Christine McVie at Bristol University in May 1969 just as she was leaving Chicken Shack. She had success with the Etta James classic, "I'd Rather Go Blind", and was twice voted female artist of the year in England. Christine McVie played her first gig as an official member on 6 August 1970 in New Orleans. CBS Records, which now owned Blue Horizon (except in the US and Canada), released an album of previously unreleased material from the original Fleetwood Mac called The Original Fleetwood Mac. The album was relatively successful, and the band continued to gain popularity.

text: While on tour in February 1971, Jeremy Spencer said he was going out to "get a magazine", but never returned. After several days of frantic searching, the band discovered that Spencer had joined a religious group, the Children of God.[20] Liable for the remaining shows on the tour, they convinced Peter Green to help finish the tour. He brought along his friend, Nigel Watson, who played the congas (twenty-five years later Green and Watson collaborated again to form the Peter Green Splinter Group). Green, however, would only be back with Fleetwood Mac temporarily, so the band decided to search for a new guitarist.

text: In the summer of 1971, the band held auditions for a guitarist in their large country home, "Benifold", which they jointly bought with their manager Davis for £23,000 (equivalent to £326,500 in 2016[21]) prior to the Kiln House tour.[22] A friend of the band named Judy Wong recommended her high school friend, Bob Welch, who was living in Paris at the time. The band had a few meetings with Welch and decided to hire him, without actually playing with him or listening to any of his recordings.

text: In September 1971, the band released Future Games. Due to Welch's arrival and Spencer's departure, the album was different from anything the band had done up to that point, and there were many new fans in America who were becoming more and more interested in the band. In Europe, CBS released Fleetwood Mac's first Greatest Hits package, which was predominantly composed of songs by Peter Green, though there was one song by Spencer and one by Kirwan.

text: In 1972, six months after the release of Future Games, the band released the well-received album Bare Trees. Though mostly composed by Kirwan, Bare Trees featured Welch's "Sentimental Lady", which would be a much bigger hit for him five years later when he re-recorded it for his solo album French Kiss, backed with Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie. It also featured "Spare Me a Little of Your Love", a bright Christine McVie tune that became a staple of the band's live act throughout the early to mid-1970s.

text: While the band was doing well in the studio, their tours were more problematic. Danny Kirwan developed an alcohol dependency and became alienated from Welch and the McVies. It was not until he smashed his Les Paul Custom guitar before a concert, refused to go on stage, and criticised the band afterwards, that Fleetwood was finally convinced that he had no choice but to fire Kirwan.[23]

text: The next two and a half years proved to be the most challenging for the band. In the three albums they released in this period, they constantly changed line-ups. In September 1972, the band added guitarist Bob Weston and vocalist Dave Walker, formerly of Savoy Brown and Idle Race.[24] Bob Weston was well known for playing slide guitar and had known the band from his touring period with Long John Baldry. Fleetwood Mac also hired Savoy Brown's road manager, John Courage. Fleetwood, The McVies, Welch, Weston, and Walker recorded Penguin, which was released in January 1973. After the tour, the band fired Walker because his vocal style and attitude did not fit in with the rest of the band.

text: The remaining five carried on and recorded Mystery to Me six months later. This album contained Welch's song "Hypnotized" which got a lot of airplay on the radio and became one of the band's most successful songs to date in the US. The band was proud of the new album and anticipated that it would be a hit. However, things were not well within the band. The McVies' marriage at this time was under a lot of stress, which was aggravated by their constant working with each other, and John McVie's considerable alcohol abuse.[25] During the tour, Weston had an affair with Fleetwood's wife, Jenny Boyd Fleetwood, the sister of Pattie Boyd Harrison. Courage soon fired Weston and the tour was cancelled, so due to lack of touring, the album sold less than its predecessor.

text: 1974: The fake Fleetwood Mac[edit]

text: In 1974, the band's manager, Clifford Davis, then claimed that he owned the name Fleetwood Mac, and recruited members of a band called Legs (which had recently issued one single under Davis' management)[26] to tour as Fleetwood Mac.

text: The bogus Fleetwood Mac consisted of Elmer Gantry (vocals, guitar), Kirby Gregory (guitar), Paul Martinez (bass), John Wilkinson (keyboards) and Australian-born drummer Craig Collinge (formerly of The Librettos, Procession and Third World War). The members of this conglomeration apparently had been told that Mick Fleetwood would join them on later dates, and claimed that Fleetwood had been involved in the early planning stages of the tour before dropping out.[27]

text: As the tour got underway, Fleetwood Mac's road manager, John Courage, realised that the line-up being used wasn't authentic. Courage ended up hiding the real Fleetwood Mac's equipment, which helped shorten the tour by the bogus band, which soon dissolved. But the lawsuit that followed—regarding who actually owned the rights to the band name "Fleetwood Mac"—put the real Fleetwood Mac out of commission for almost a year. While the band was named after Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, they had signed contracts that showed the band forfeited the rights to the name.

text: In the aftermath of the dissolution of the fake Fleetwood Mac, nobody from that lineup was ever officially made a part of the real Fleetwood Mac, although some of them later acted as Danny Kirwan's studio band. Gantry and Gregory went on to become members of Stretch, whose 1975 UK hit single "Why Did You Do It" was written about the fake Fleetwood Mac touring debacle.[28] Gantry later collaborated with The Alan Parsons Project. Martinez, meanwhile, went on to play with the Deep Purple offshoot Paice Ashton Lord, as well as Robert Plant's backing band.

text: 1974: Return of the real Fleetwood Mac[edit]

text: During the fake Fleetwood Mac months, Welch stayed in Los Angeles and connected with entertainment attorneys. He swiftly realised that the band was being neglected by Warner Bros., and that if they wanted to change that, they would have to change their base of operation from England to America, to which the rest of the band agreed immediately. Rock promoter Bill Graham wrote a letter to Warner Bros. to convince them that the real Fleetwood Mac were, in fact, Fleetwood, Welch and the McVies. But while this did not end the legal battle, the band was able to record as Fleetwood Mac again. Instead of getting another manager, Fleetwood Mac decided to manage themselves.[citation needed]

text: In September 1974, Fleetwood Mac signed a new recording contract with Warner Bros., but remained on the Reprise imprint. The quartet released their album Heroes Are Hard to Find in September 1974 and for the first time in its history, the band had only one guitarist. While on tour they added a second keyboardist, Doug Graves, who had been an engineer on Heroes Are Hard to Find. In late 1974, Graves was preparing to become a permanent member of the band by the end of their US tour.

text: I'm looking forward to adding something to this already great band; I helped engineer their album 'Heroes Are Hard to Find' and got to know each member well. It came to me as a shock when Mick asked me to join but I am enjoying playing live with the band, and hopefully will start a new studio album with the band soon.

text: However, Graves did not ultimately join full-time. In 1980, Christine McVie explained the decision:

text: "He (Doug Graves) was there to back me up, but I think it was decided after the first two or three concerts that I was better off without him. The band wanted me to expand my role and have a little more freedom, so he played some organ behind me, but he didn't play the same way I did...[29]

text: Robert ("Bobby") Hunt, who had been in the band Head West with Bob Welch back in 1970 replaced Graves. Neither musician, however, proved to be a long-term addition to the line-up, and Welch left soon after the tour ended (on 5 December 1974 at Cal State University), having tired of the touring and legal struggles. Nevertheless, the tour enabled the Heroes album to reach a higher position on the American charts than any of the band's previous records.[citation needed]

text: 1975–1987: Addition of Buckingham and Nicks lead to mainstream success[edit]

text: After Welch announced that he was leaving the band, Fleetwood began searching for a possible replacement. While Fleetwood was checking out Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, the house engineer, Keith Olsen, played him a track which he had recorded in the studio, "Frozen Love", from the album Buckingham Nicks (1973). Fleetwood liked it, and was introduced to the guitarist from the band, Lindsey Buckingham, who coincidentally was at Sound City that day recording some demos. Fleetwood soon asked him to join. Buckingham agreed, on the condition that his music partner and girlfriend, Stevie Nicks, also become part of the band; Fleetwood agreed. Buckingham and Nicks joined the band on New Year's Eve 1974 (within 4 weeks of the previous incarnation splitting).[30][31]

text: In 1975, the new line-up released the eponymous Fleetwood Mac. The album proved to be a breakthrough for the band and became a huge hit, reaching No.1 in the US and selling over 5 million copies. Among the hit singles from this album were Christine McVie's "Over My Head" and "Say You Love Me", and Stevie Nicks' "Rhiannon", as well as the much-played album track "Landslide" (a live rendition of which became a hit twenty years later on The Dance album).

text:
"Landslide" (Fleetwood Mac)

17 second sample from Fleetwood Mac's song "Landslide".

Problems playing this file? See media help.

text: Behind the scenes the band was fraying apart in 1976; with the success of the band also came the end of John and Christine McVie's marriage, as well as Buckingham and Nicks' long term romantic relationship. Even Fleetwood was in the midst of divorce proceedings from his wife, Jenny. The pressure put on Fleetwood Mac to release a successful follow-up album, combined with their new-found wealth, led to creative and personal tensions, fuelled by high consumption of drugs and alcohol.[citation needed]

text: The album Rumours (the band's first release on the main Warner label after Reprise was retired and all of its acts were reassigned to the parent label) was released in the spring of 1977, in which the band members laid bare the emotional turmoil they were experiencing at the time. Critically acclaimed, it was the recipient of the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for 1977. The album generated multiple Top Ten singles, including Buckingham's "Go Your Own Way", Nicks' US No.1 "Dreams" ( sample (help·info)), and Christine McVie's "Don't Stop" and "You Make Loving Fun". Buckingham's "Second Hand News", Nicks' "Gold Dust Woman" and "The Chain" (the only song written by all five bandmates) also received significant radio airplay. By 2003, Rumours had sold over 19 million copies in the US alone (certified as a diamond album by the RIAA), and a total of 40 million copies worldwide, making it the second biggest selling album of all time.[32] Fleetwood Mac supported the album with a lucrative tour.

text: On 10 October 1979, Fleetwood Mac was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their contributions to the music industry at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard.[33][34]

text: Buckingham was able to convince Fleetwood to allow his work on their next album to be more experimental and to work on tracks at home, then bring them to the band in the studio. The result of this was the 20-track double album, Tusk, released in 1979. It spawned three hit singles; Lindsey Buckingham's "Tusk" (US No. 8), which featured the USC Trojan Marching Band; Christine McVie's "Think About Me" (US No. 20); and Stevie Nicks' 6½ minute opus "Sara" (US No. 7). "Sara" was cut to 4½ minutes for both the hit single and the first CD-release of the album, but the unedited version has since been restored on the 1988 greatest hits compilation, the 2004 reissue of Tusk and Fleetwood Mac's 2002 release of The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac. Original guitarist Green also took part in the sessions of Tusk, but his playing for the Christine McVie track "Brown Eyes" is not credited on the album.[35]

text: Tusk sold four million copies worldwide. Fleetwood blames the album's relative failure on the RKO radio chain playing the album in its entirety prior to release, thus allowing mass home taping.[36]

text: The band embarked on an 11-month tour to support and promote Tusk. They travelled across the world, including the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In Germany they shared the bill with reggae superstar Bob Marley. It was on this world tour that the band recorded music for the Fleetwood Mac Live album, which was released at the end of 1980.

text: The next album, 1982's Mirage—following 1981 solo albums by Nicks (Bella Donna), Fleetwood (The Visitor), and Buckingham (Law and Order)—was a return to a more conventional approach. Buckingham had been chided by critics, fellow band members and music business managers for the lesser commercial success enjoyed by Tusk. Recorded at Château d'Hérouville in France and produced by Richard Dashut, Mirage was an attempt to recapture the huge success of Rumours. Its hits included Christine McVie's "Hold Me" and "Love in Store" (co-written by Robbie Patton and Jim Recor, respectively), Stevie Nicks' "Gypsy", and Lindsey Buckingham's "Oh Diane", which made the Top 10 in the UK. A minor hit was also scored by Buckingham's "Eyes Of The World" and "Can't Go Back".

text: In contrast to the Tusk Tour, the band only embarked on a short tour of 18 American cities, the Los Angeles show being recorded and released on video. They also headlined the first US Festival, on 5 September 1982, for which the band was paid $500,000 ($1,267,931 today). Mirage was certified double platinum in the US.

text: Following Mirage, the band went on hiatus, which allowed members to pursue solo careers. Stevie Nicks released two more solo albums (1983's The Wild Heart and 1985's Rock a Little), Lindsey Buckingham issued Go Insane in 1984, the same year that Christine McVie made an eponymous album (yielding the Top 10 hit "Got a Hold on Me" and the Top 40 hit "Love Will Show Us How"). All three met with success and it was Nicks who became the most popular. However, also during this period, Mick Fleetwood had filed for bankruptcy, Nicks was admitted to the Betty Ford Clinic for addiction problems, and John McVie had suffered an addiction-related seizure—all attributed to the lifestyle of excess afforded to them by their worldwide success. It was rumoured that Fleetwood Mac had finally broken up; however, Buckingham commented that he was unhappy to allow Mirage to remain as the band's last effort.[37]

text: The Rumours line-up of Fleetwood Mac recorded one more album for the time being, Tango in the Night, in 1987. Initially, as with various other Fleetwood Mac albums, the material started off as a Buckingham solo album before becoming a group project. The album went on to become their best-selling release since Rumours, especially in the UK where it hit No. 1 three times over the following year. The album sold three million copies in the USA and contained four hits: Christine McVie's "Little Lies" and "Everywhere" (the former being co-written with McVie's new husband Eddy Quintela), Sandy Stewart and Stevie Nicks' "Seven Wonders", and Lindsey Buckingham's "Big Love". "Family Man" (Buckingham and Richard Dashut), and "Isn't It Midnight" (Christine McVie), were also released as singles, with lesser success.

text: 1987–1995: Departure of Buckingham and Nicks[edit]

text: Although a ten-week tour was scheduled, Buckingham backed out at the last minute. He tried to explain to his bandmates that he felt his creativity was being stifled by his remaining in the band. A group meeting at Christine McVie's house on 7 August 1987 resulted in much rancour and recrimination, as well as an alleged (in Mick Fleetwood's autobiography) physical altercation between Buckingham and Nicks. Buckingham left the band the following day.[citation needed] Following Buckingham's departure, Fleetwood Mac added two new guitarists to the band, Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, without auditions.[38]

text: Burnette is the son of Dorsey Burnette and nephew of Johnny Burnette, both of The Rock and Roll Trio. He had already worked with Mick Fleetwood in Zoo, with Christine McVie as part of her solo band, done some session work with Stevie Nicks, and backed Lindsey Buckingham on Saturday Night Live. Furthermore, Fleetwood and Christine McVie had played on his Try Me album in 1985. Vito, a Peter Green admirer, had played with many artists from Bonnie Raitt to John Mayall, and worked with John McVie on two Mayall albums.

text: The 1987–88 "Shake the Cage" tour was the first outing for this line-up, and was successful enough to warrant the release of a concert video (simply titled "Tango in the Night"), filmed at San Francisco's Cow Palace arena in December 1987.

text: Capitalising on the success of Tango in the Night, the band continued with a Greatest Hits album in 1988. It featured singles from the 1975–1988 era, and included two new compositions: "No Questions Asked" written by Nicks, and "As Long as You Follow" written by McVie and Quintela, which was released as a single in 1988 but only made No. 43 in the US and No.66 in the UK. It did, however, reach No.1 on the US Adult Contemporary charts. The Greatest Hits album, which peaked at No. 3 in the UK and No. 14 in the US (though has since sold over 8 million copies there), was dedicated to Buckingham by the band, with whom they had now reconciled.

text: Following the Greatest Hits collection, Fleetwood Mac recorded Behind the Mask. With this album, the band veered away from the stylised sound that Buckingham had evolved during his tenure in the band (also evident in his solo works), and ended up with a more adult contemporary style from producer Greg Ladanyi. However, the album yielded only one Top 40 hit, McVie's "Save Me". Behind the Mask only achieved Gold album status in the US, peaking at No.18 on the Billboard album chart, though it entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1. It received mixed reviews, and was seen by some music critics as a low point for the band in the absence of Lindsey Buckingham (who had actually made a guest appearance by playing on the title track). However, Rolling Stone magazine said that Vito and Burnette were "the best thing to ever happen to Fleetwood Mac" and the British Q magazine also praised the album in their review. The subsequent "Behind the Mask" tour saw the band play sold out shows at London's Wembley Stadium, and on the final show in Los Angeles, the band were joined onstage by Buckingham. The two women of the band, McVie and Nicks, had decided that the tour would be their last (McVie's father died during the tour) though both stated that they would still record with the band. However, in 1991, both Nicks and Rick Vito announced they were leaving Fleetwood Mac altogether.

text: In 1992, Fleetwood himself arranged a 4-disc box set spanning highlights from the band's 25-year history, titled 25 Years – The Chain (an edited 2-disc set was also available). A notable inclusion in the box set was "Silver Springs", a Stevie Nicks composition that was recorded during the Rumours sessions but was omitted from the album and used as the B-side of "Go Your Own Way" instead. Nicks had requested use of the track for her 1991 best-of compilation TimeSpace, but Fleetwood had refused her request as he had planned to include it in this collection as something of a rarity.[citation needed] The disagreement between Nicks and Fleetwood garnered press coverage, and is believed to be the main catalyst for Nicks leaving the band in 1991.[citation needed] The box set, however, also included a brand new Stevie Nicks/Rick Vito composition, "Paper Doll", which was released in the US as a single. As both members had left the band by this point, the track was presumably a leftover from the Behind the Mask sessions. There were also two new Christine McVie compositions, "Heart of Stone" and "Love Shines", the latter of which was released as a single in the UK and certain other territories. Lindsey Buckingham also contributed a new song, "Make Me a Mask", which bore all the markings of an insular Buckingham studio creation, devoid of input from other band members. Mick Fleetwood also released a deluxe hardcover companion book to coincide with the release of the box set, titled My 25 Years in Fleetwood Mac. The volume featured many rare photographs and notes (written by Fleetwood himself) detailing the band's 25-year history.

text: Some months after this, the Buckingham/Nicks/McVie/McVie/Fleetwood line-up reunited at the request of US President Bill Clinton for his first Inaugural Ball in 1993. Clinton had made Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" his campaign theme song. His subsequent request to perform it at the Inauguration Ball was met with enthusiasm by the band. However, this line-up had no intention to reunite again.[39]

text: Inspired by the new interest in the band, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, and Christine McVie recorded another album as Fleetwood Mac, with Billy Burnette taking on lead guitar duties. However, just as they made the decision to continue, Billy Burnette announced in March 1993 that he was leaving the band to pursue a country album and an acting career. Bekka Bramlett, who had worked a year earlier with Mick Fleetwood's Zoo, was recruited. Solo singer-songwriter/guitarist and Traffic member Dave Mason, who had worked with Bekka's parents Delaney & Bonnie twenty five years earlier, was subsequently added. By March 1994, Billy Burnette, himself a good friend and co-songwriter with Delaney Bramlett, returned with Fleetwood's blessing.

text: The band, minus Christine McVie, toured in 1994, opening for Crosby, Stills, & Nash, and in 1995 as part of a package with REO Speedwagon and Pat Benatar. The tour saw the band perform classic Fleetwood Mac songs from the initial 1967–1974 era. In 1995, at a concert in Tokyo, the band was greeted by former member Jeremy Spencer, who performed a few songs with them.

text: On 10 October 1995, Fleetwood Mac released the unsuccessful Time album. Although hitting the UK Top 60 for one week the album had zero impact in the US. It failed even to graze the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, a stunning reversal for a band that had been a mainstay on that chart for most of the previous two decades. Shortly after the album's release, Christine McVie informed the band that the album was her last. Bramlett and Burnette subsequently formed a country music duo, Bekka & Billy.

text: 1995–1997: Reformation[edit]

text: Just weeks after disbanding Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood announced that he was working with Lindsey Buckingham again. John McVie was soon added to the sessions, and later Christine McVie. Stevie Nicks also enlisted Lindsey Buckingham to produce a song for a soundtrack.

text: In May 1996, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks made an appearance at a private party in Louisville, Kentucky prior to the Kentucky Derby (with Steve Winwood filling in for Lindsey Buckingham). A week later, the Twister film soundtrack was released, which featured the Stevie Nicks-Lindsey Buckingham duet, "Twisted", with Mick Fleetwood on drums. This eventually led to a full Rumours line-up reunion when the band officially reformed in March 1997.

text: 1997–2007: Reunion and Christine McVie's departure[edit]

text: The regrouped Fleetwood Mac performed a live concert recorded on a Warner Bros. Burbank, California soundstage on 22 May, and from this performance came the 1997 live album The Dance, bringing Fleetwood Mac back to the top of the US album charts for the first time in 10 years. The album returned Fleetwood Mac to their superstar commercial status that they had not enjoyed since their Tango in the Night album. The album was certified a 5 million seller by the RIAA. A successful arena tour followed the MTV premiere of The Dance, which kept the reunited Fleetwood Mac on the road throughout much of 1997, the 20th anniversary of their Rumours album. With the added ensemble of Neale Heywood on guitar, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, Lenny Castro on percussion, and Sharon Celani (she had toured with Fleetwood Mac in the late 1980s) and Mindy Stein on backing vocals, this would, however, be the final foray of the classic line-up with Christine McVie for 16 years. As of 2015, Brett Tuggle, Neale Heywood, and Sharon Celani still perform with Fleetwood Mac as touring musicians.

text: In 1998, Fleetwood Mac were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Members inducted included the original band—Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan—and Rumours-era members Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham, but not Bob Welch, despite his key role in keeping the band alive during the early 1970s. The Rumours-era version of the band performed both at the induction ceremony and at the Grammy Awards program that year. Peter Green attended the induction ceremony but did not perform with his former bandmates, opting instead to perform his composition "Black Magic Woman" with Santana, who were inducted the same night. Neither Jeremy Spencer nor Danny Kirwan attended. Fleetwood Mac were also the recipients of the "Outstanding Contribution to Music" award at the BRIT Awards (British Phonographic Industry Awards) the same year.

text: In 1998, Christine McVie left the band. Her departure left Buckingham and Nicks to sing all the lead vocals for the band's 2003 album Say You Will, although Christine did contribute some backing vocals and keyboards. The album debuted at No.3 on the Billboard 200 chart (No. 6 in the UK) and yielded chart hits with "Peacekeeper" and the title track, and a successful world arena tour, which lasted through 2004. The tour grossed $27,711,129 and was ranked No. 21 in the top 25 grossing tours of 2004.

text: Around 2004–05, there were rumours of a reunion of the early line-up of Fleetwood Mac, involving Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. While these two guitarists and vocalists apparently remained unconvinced of the merits of such a project,[40] in April 2006, during a question-and-answer session on the Penguin Fleetwood Mac fan website, bassist John McVie said of the reunion idea:

text: If we could get Peter and Jeremy to do it, I'd probably, maybe, do it. I know Mick would do it in a flash. Unfortunately, I don't think there's much chance of Danny doing it. Bless his heart.[41]

text: In interviews given in November 2006 to support his solo album Under the Skin, Buckingham stated that plans for the band to reunite once more for a 2008 tour were still on the cards. Recording plans have been put on hold for the foreseeable future. In a September 2007 interview Stevie Nicks gave to the UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph, she noted that she was unwilling to carry on with the band unless Christine McVie returned.[42] However, in a more recent interview, Mick Fleetwood said "... be very happy and hopeful that we will be working again. I can tell you everyone's going to be extremely excited about what's happening with Fleetwood Mac."[43]

text: 2008–2013: Unleashed Tour and Extended Play[edit]

text: On 14 March 2008, the Associated Press reported Sheryl Crow as saying that she would be working with Fleetwood Mac in 2009. Crow and Stevie Nicks collaborated a great deal in the past and she has stated that Nicks has been a great teacher and inspiration for her.[44] In a subsequent interview with Buckingham, he said after discussions between the band and Crow, the potential collaboration with Crow "lost its momentum".[45] However, in a June 2008 interview, Nicks denied that Crow would be joining Fleetwood Mac as a replacement for Christine McVie. According to Nicks, "the group will start working on material and recording probably in October, and finish an album."[46] On 7 October 2008, Mick Fleetwood confirmed on the BBC's The One Show that the band were working in the studio and also announced plans for a world tour in 2009.

text: In late 2008, Fleetwood Mac announced that the band would tour in 2009, beginning in March. As per the 2003–2004 tour, Christine McVie would not be featured in the line-up. The tour was branded as a greatest hits show entitled "Unleashed", although they played album tracks such as "Storms" and "I Know I'm Not Wrong". The first show was on 1 March 2009, and in February they announced a slew of new dates.

text: During their show on 20 June 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Stevie Nicks premiered part of a new song that she had written about Hurricane Katrina.[47] The song was later released as "New Orleans" on Stevie Nicks' 2011 album In Your Dreams with Mick Fleetwood on drums. In October 2009, the band began a tour of Europe that carried on into early November, followed by a tour of Australia and New Zealand in December. Also in October, The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac was re-released in an extended two-disc format (this format having been released in the US in 2002), premiering at number six on the UK Albums Chart. On 1 November 2009, a new one-hour documentary, Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop, was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, which featured recent interviews with all four current band members.[48] During the documentary, Nicks gave a candid summary of the current state of her relationship with Buckingham, stating "Maybe when we're 75 and Fleetwood Mac is a distant memory, we might be friends."

text: On 6 November 2009, Fleetwood Mac played the last show of the European leg of their Unleashed tour at London's Wembley Arena. Christine McVie was present in the audience, so Stevie Nicks paid a tribute from the stage to a standing ovation from the audience, stating that she thought about her former bandmate "every day", and went on to dedicate that night's performance of "Landslide" to McVie. On 19 December 2009, Fleetwood Mac played the second to last act of their Unleashed tour to a sell-out crowd at what was originally intended to be a one-off event at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth, New Zealand. Tickets, after pre-sales, sold out within twelve minutes of public release, and another date (Sunday 20 December) was added[49] and also sold out. The tour grossed $84,900,000 and was ranked No. 13 in the highest grossing worldwide tours of 2009. On 19 October 2010, Fleetwood Mac played a private show at the Phoenician Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona for TPG (Texas Pacific Group).

text: On 3 May 2011, the Fox Network broadcast an episode of Glee entitled "Rumours" that featured six songs from the band's 1977 album.[50] The show sparked renewed interest in the band and its commercially most successful album, and Rumours reentered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 11, the same week that Stevie Nicks' new solo album In Your Dreams debuted at No. 6. (Nicks was quoted by Billboard saying that her new album was "my own little Rumours."[51] ) The two recordings sold about 30,000 and 52,000 units, respectively. Music downloads accounted for ninety-one percent of the Rumours sales. The spike in sales for Rumours represented an uptick of 1,951%. It was the highest chart entry by a previously issued album since The Rolling Stones's reissue of Exile On Main St. reentered the chart at No. 2 on 5 June 2010.[52] In a July 2012 interview, Nicks confirmed that the band would reunite for a tour in 2013.[53]

text: Original Fleetwood Mac bassist Bob Brunning died on 18 October 2011, at the age of 68.[54] Former guitarist and singer Bob Weston was found dead on 3 January 2012, at the age of 64.[55] Former singer and guitarist Bob Welch was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on 7 June 2012, at the age of 66.[56] Don Aaron, a spokesman at the scene, stated, "He died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest." A suicide note was found in the residence (Tennessean Music Team). The musician had been struggling with health issues and was dealing with depression. His wife was the one to discover the body.[57]

text: The band's 2013 tour, which covered 34 cities, started on 4 April in Columbus, OH. The band performed two new songs ("Sad Angel" and "Without You"), which Buckingham described as some of the most "Fleetwood Mac-ey" sounding songs since Mirage, with the latter song re-recorded from the Buckingham-Nicks era.[58] The band released their first new studio material in ten years, Extended Play, on 30 April 2013.[59] The EP debuted and peaked at No. 48 in the US, and produced one single, "Sad Angel". On 25 and 27 September 2013, the second and third nights of the band's London O2 shows, Christine McVie joined them onstage for "Don't Stop".[60]

text: On 27 October, the band announced that John McVie had been diagnosed with cancer, and that they were cancelling their New Zealand and Australian performances in order for him to undergo treatment. They stated that "We are sorry to not be able to play these Australian and New Zealand dates. We hope our Australian and New Zealand fans as well as Fleetwood Mac fans everywhere will join us in wishing John and his family all the best."[61] According to The Guardian on 22 November 2013, Christine McVie stated that she would like to return to Fleetwood Mac if they wanted her, and also affirmed that John McVie's prognosis was "really good."[62]

text: 2014–2018: Return of Christine McVie and later departure of Buckingham[edit]

text: On 11 January 2014, Mick Fleetwood announced that Christine McVie would be rejoining Fleetwood Mac,[63] and the news was confirmed on 13 January by the band's primary publicist, Liz Rosenberg. Rosenberg also stated that an official announcement regarding a new album and tour would be forthcoming.[64] In October 2014, Nicks appeared in American Horror Story: Coven while Fleetwood Mac's song "Seven Wonders" was playing in the background.[65]

text: On with the Show, a 33-city North American Tour opened in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 30 September 2014. A series of May–June 2015 arena dates in the United Kingdom went on sale on 14 November, selling out in minutes. Additional dates for the tour were added, extending into November.

text: In January 2015, Buckingham suggested that the new album and the new tour might be Fleetwood Mac's last act and that the band would cease to operate in 2015 or soon afterwards. He concluded: "We're going to continue working on the new album, and the solo stuff will take a back seat for a year or two. A beautiful way to wrap up this last act".[66] On the other hand, Mick Fleetwood stated that the new album may take a few years to complete and that they are waiting for contributions from Stevie Nicks, who has been ambivalent about committing to a new record.[67]

text: In August 2016, Fleetwood revealed that while the band has a "a huge amount of recorded music", virtually none of it features Stevie Nicks. Buckingham and Christine McVie however, have contributed multiple songs to the new project. Fleetwood told Ultimate Classic Rock, "She [McVie] ... wrote up a storm ... She and Lindsey could probably have a mighty strong duet album if they want. In truth, I hope it will come to more than that. There really are dozens of songs. And they’re really good. So we’ll see." [68]

text: Stevie Nicks explained her reluctance to record another album with Fleetwood Mac. "Is it possible that Fleetwood Mac might do another record? I can never tell you yes or no, because I don't know. I honestly don't know… It's like, do you want to take a chance of going in and setting up in a room for like a year [to record an album] and having a bunch of arguing people? And then not wanting to go on tour because you just spent a year arguing?". She also emphasized the point that people don't buy as many records as they used to.[69]

text: Buckingham and Christine McVie announced a new album titled Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie, which features Mick Fleetwood and John McVie on a few tracks.[70] Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie was released on 9 June 2017, and was preceded by the single, "In My World". A 38-date tour was arranged, which began on 21 June and concluded 16 November.[71][72] Fleetwood Mac also plan to embark on another tour in 2018.[73] Fleetwood Mac headlined the second night of the Classic West concert (on 16 July 2017 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles) and the second night of the Classic East concert (at New York's Citi Field on 30 July 2017).

text: In November 2017 the band announced a deluxe reissue of their 1975 self-titled album. The reissue features a remastered version of the original album along with unreleased outtakes, alternate versions and live versions. The repackage was officially released worldwide on 19 January 2018.[74] Fleetwood Mac were announced at the MusiCares Person of the Year in 2018 and reunited to perform several songs at the Grammy-hosted gala honouring them. Artists including Lorde, Harry Styles, Little Big Town and Miley Cyrus also performed.[6].

text: In April 2018, the song "Dreams" re-entered the Hot Rock Songs chart at No. 16 due to a viral meme featuring the hit song. This chart re-entry comes 40 years after the song topped the Hot 100. The song's streaming totals also translated into 7,000 "equivalent album units"—a jump of 12 percent—which helped Rumours go from No. 21 to No. 13 on the Top Rock Albums chart.[75]

text: Also that month, Buckingham departed the group a second time, reportedly by way of dismissal.[76] The cause was said to be disagreement about the nature of the tour,[77] in particular centering on whether newer or less well known material might be included per Buckingham’s desire.[78]

text: Former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and Neil Finn of Crowded House were named to replace Buckingham on the planned tour.[77][76]

text: Tours[edit]

text:
Kiln House Tour – 1970
Future Games Tour – 1971
Bare Trees Tour – 1972
Penguin Tour – early 1973
Mystery to Me Tour – mid-1973
Heroes Are Hard to Find Tour – 1974
Fleetwood Mac Tour – 1975
Rumours Tour – 1977
Tusk Tour – 1979–1980
Mirage Tour – 1982
Shake the Cage Tour – 1987–1988
Behind the Mask Tour – 1990
Another Link in the Chain Tour – 1994–1995
The Dance – 1997
Say You Will Tour – 2003–2004
Unleashed tour – 2009
Fleetwood Mac Live – 2013
On with the Show – 2014–2015

text: Band members[edit]

text:
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion (1967–1995, 1996–present)
John McVie – bass (1967–1995, 1996–present)
Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals (1970–1995, 1996–1998, 2014–present)
Stevie Nicks – vocals (1974–1991, 1996–present)
Mike Campbell – lead guitar (2018–present)
Neil Finn – rhythm guitar, vocals (2018–present)

text: Discography[edit]

text: Studio albums[edit]

text:
Fleetwood Mac (1968)
Mr. Wonderful (1968)
Then Play On (1969)
Kiln House (1970)
Future Games (1971)
Bare Trees (1972)
Penguin (1973)
Mystery to Me (1973)
Heroes Are Hard to Find (1974)
Fleetwood Mac (1975)
Rumours (1977)
Tusk (1979)
Mirage (1982)
Tango in the Night (1987)
Behind the Mask (1990)
Time (1995)
Say You Will (2003)

text: Remasters[edit]

text: The 1967–1969 era Blue Horizon albums (Fleetwood Mac, Mr. Wonderful, The Pious Bird of Good Omen and Fleetwood Mac in Chicago) and 1971 outtakes album The Original Fleetwood Mac have been remastered and reissued on CD, as have the 1975–1987 era Warner Bros. studio albums Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Tusk, Mirage, and Tango in the Night

text: In 2013, a deluxe edition of Rumours was released. The same year, Then Play On was remastered and reissued on CD. Reissues of "Then Play On", "Kiln House", "Future Games" and "Bare Trees" were released on vinyl, initially bundled with a 7" single of "Oh Well, Parts I & II", then released separately in 2014. In 2015, a 5CD/1DVD/2 LP deluxe edition, a 3CD expanded edition, plus a 1CD remaster of Tusk was released.[79] In 2016, multiple editions of Mirage remastered were released.[80] A 30th anniversary edition of Tango in the Night was released 31 March 2017.[81]


document_title: The Lion King (musical)

question_text: when did the lion king open in london

question_tokens: when did the lion king open in london

root

text: The Lion King (musical)

text: Synopsis

text: Act I

text: As the sun rises, Rafiki the mandrill calls the animals to Pride Rock. She greets King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi before presenting their cub to the gathered animals ("Circle of Life"). Elsewhere, Mufasa's brother, Scar, laments his lost chance at becoming King. Back at her baobab tree, Rafiki paints an image of the cub and asks the spirits to conjure the new prince's name: Simba.

tag: p

text: Time passes and Simba grows into a lively young cub ("Grasslands Chant"). Mufasa shows Simba the Pride Lands from the top of Pride Rock and explains that everything exists in a delicate balance known as the Circle of Life. Mufasa warns Simba not to stray beyond the boundaries of the Pride Lands, pointing out a shadowy area in the distance. Zazu, a hornbill who acts as Mufasa's advisor, arrives and delivers his daily report on the state of affairs in the King's domain ("The Morning Report", now cut from the Broadway production).[6]

text: Simba goes to see his Uncle Scar. The scheming lion piques the cub's curiosity by mentioning the elephant graveyard, where Simba is forbidden to go. Meanwhile, the lionesses go hunting ("The Lioness Hunt"). Simba arrives and asks his best friend, a female cub named Nala, to come with him to the elephant graveyard. He lies to the lionesses about where they are going, and Sarafina (Nala's mother) and Sarabi allow the cubs to go, escorted by Zazu. Simba and Nala formulate a plan and manage to lose Zazu, while Simba brags about his future position ("I Just Can't Wait to Be King").

text: The cubs go to the graveyard and begin to explore. Zazu catches up, but they are confronted by three hyenas: Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. The hyenas intend to eat the trespassers and they gloat about their find ("Chow Down"). Mufasa rescues the cubs and frightens off the hyenas.

text: Mufasa is disappointed and angry at Simba's reckless disobedience, and explains the difference between bravery and bravado. Mufasa tells Simba about the great kings of the past and how they watch over everything from the stars ("They Live in You"). Mufasa says that he will always be there for his son. Later he discusses Simba's behavior with Zazu, who reminds Mufasa that he had the same tendency to get into trouble at Simba's age.

text: Back at the elephant graveyard, Scar tells the hyenas of his plan to kill Mufasa and Simba so that he can become king. He raises an army of hyenas, promising that they will never go hungry again if they support him ("Be Prepared"). Scar takes Simba to a gorge and tells him to wait there. On Scar's signal, the hyenas start a wildebeest stampede into the gorge ("The Stampede"). Scar tells Mufasa that Simba is trapped in the gorge. Mufasa leaps into the stampede and manages to save his son, but as he tries to escape, Scar throws him off the cliff back into the stampede, killing him. Scar convinces Simba that his father's death was his fault and tells him to run away, but as he leaves, Scar orders the hyenas to kill him. Simba escapes but the hyenas tell Scar that he is dead. Rafiki and the lionesses mourn the deaths ("Rafiki Mourns"). Scar claims the throne and allows the hyenas into the Pride Lands ("Be Prepared (Reprise)"). Rafiki returns to her tree and smears the drawing of Simba, while Sarabi and Nala quietly grieve.

text: Out in the desert, Simba collapses from heat exhaustion. Vultures begin to circle, but are scared away by Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog. Simba feels responsible for Mufasa's death, but the duo take the cub to their jungle home and show him their carefree way of life and bug diet ("Hakuna Matata"). Simba grows to adulthood in the jungle.

text: Act II

text: The chorus, dressed in colorful clothes with ornate bird puppets and kites, begin the Second Act ("One by One"). As the song ends, however, the beautiful birds are replaced by vultures and gazelle skeletons. Under Scar's rule, the Circle of Life is out of balance and a drought has hit the Pride Lands. Zazu, now a prisoner of Scar, listens to the king's woes. The hyenas are complaining about the lack of food, but Scar is only concerned with himself and why he is not loved. He is haunted by visions of Mufasa and rapidly switches between delusional confidence and paranoid despair ("The Madness of King Scar"). Nala arrives to confront Scar about the famine and Scar decides she will be his queen and give him cubs. Nala fiercely rebukes him and resolves to leave the Pride Lands to find help. Rafiki and the lionesses bless her for her journey ("Shadowland").

text: Back in the jungle, Timon and Pumbaa want to sleep, but the restless Simba is unable to settle. Annoyed, Simba leaves them, but Timon and Pumbaa lose their courage and follow him. Simba leaps across a fast-moving river and challenges Timon to do the same. Timon falls in and is swept downstream. He grabs a branch over a waterfall and calls for Simba's help, but Simba is paralyzed by a flashback of Mufasa's death. Timon falls from the branch and Simba snaps out of the flashback, rescuing his friend. Simba is ashamed that Timon nearly died because of his recklessness.

text: The three friends settle to sleep and discuss the stars. Simba recalls Mufasa's words, but his friends laugh at the notion of dead kings watching them. Simba leaves, expressing his loneliness and bitterly recalling Mufasa's promise to be there for him ("Endless Night"). Rafiki hears the song on the wind, joyfully realizes that Simba is alive, and draws a mane onto her painting of Simba.

text: In the jungle, Pumbaa is hunted and chased by a lioness. Simba confronts her and saves his friend, but recognizes the lioness as Nala. She is amazed to find Simba alive, knowing that he is the rightful king. Timon and Pumbaa are confused, but Simba asks them to leave him and Nala alone. Timon realizes what is happening and laments the end of Simba's Hakuna Matata lifestyle ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight"). Nala tells Simba about the devastated Pride Lands, but Simba still feels responsible for Mufasa's death and refuses to return home.

text: On his own, Simba meets Rafiki, who explains that his father lives on ("He Lives in You"). Mufasa's spirit appears in the sky and tells Simba he is the one true king and must take his place in the Circle of Life. Reawakened, Simba finds his courage and heads for home. Meanwhile, Nala wakes Timon and Pumbaa to ask where Simba is, and Rafiki appears to tell them all the news. The three of them catch up with him in the Pride Lands, where he witnesses the ruin of his home. Timon and Pumbaa distract some hyenas by doing the Charleston, allowing Simba and Nala to reach Pride Rock.

text: Scar calls for Sarabi and demands to know why the lionesses are not hunting. Sarabi stands up to him about the lack of anything to hunt, angrily comparing him to Mufasa, and Scar strikes his sister-in-law, saying he's ten times the king Mufasa was. Enraged, Simba reveals himself. Scar forces a confession of murder from Simba and corners him. Believing that he has won, Scar taunts Simba by admitting that he killed Mufasa. Furious, Simba recovers and forces Scar to reveal the truth to the lionesses ("Simba Confronts Scar"). Simba's friends fight the hyenas while Simba battles Scar to the top of Pride Rock. Scar begs for his life, blaming the hyenas for everything. Simba lets him leave out of mercy, but Scar attacks again. Simba blocks the attack and Scar falls from the cliff. The hyenas, who heard Scar's betrayal and are still starving, tear him to shreds.

text: With the battle won, Simba's friends come forward and acknowledge Simba as the rightful king. Simba ascends Pride Rock and roars out across the kingdom ("King of Pride Rock"). The Pride Lands recover and the animals gather in celebration as Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub, continuing the Circle of Life ("Circle of Life (Reprise)").

text: Songs

text:
Song
Written by
Performed by

Act I

"Circle of Life"
Elton John and Tim Rice
Rafiki and Company

"Grasslands Chant"
Lebo M
Company

"The Morning Report"*
Elton John and Tim Rice
Zazu, Young Simba, and Mufasa

"The Lioness Hunt"
Lebo M
Lionesses

"I Just Can't Wait to Be King"
Elton John and Tim Rice
Young Simba, Young Nala, Zazu, and Ensemble

"Chow Down"
Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed

"They Live in You"
Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, and Lebo M
Mufasa and Company

"Be Prepared"
Elton John and Tim Rice
Scar, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, and Company

"The Stampede"
Hans Zimmer and Lebo M
Company

"Rafiki Mourns"
Rafiki, Sarabi, Young Nala, Ensemble

"Hakuna Matata"
Elton John and Tim Rice
Timon, Pumbaa, Young Simba, Simba, and Ensemble

Act II

"One by One"
Lebo M
Company

"The Madness of King Scar"
Elton John and Tim Rice
Scar, Zazu, Banzai, Shenzi, Ed and Nala

"Shadowland"
Hans Zimmer, Lebo M, and Mark Mancina
Nala and Company

"Endless Night"
Julie Taymor, Lebo M, Hans Zimmer, and Jay Rifkin
Simba and Company

"Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
Elton John and Tim Rice
Timon, Pumbaa, Simba, Nala, and Company

"He Lives in You (Reprise)"
Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, and Lebo M
Rafiki, Simba and Company

"Simba Confronts Scar"
Mark Mancina and Robert Elhai
Instrumental

"King of Pride Rock/Circle of Life (Reprise)"
Hans Zimmer and Lebo M/Elton John and Tim Rice
The Company

tag: table

text: * Cut from the show as of June 27, 2010

text: Differences between the musical and film

text: The musical incorporates several changes and additions to the storyline as compared to the film. The mandrill Rafiki's gender was changed to a female role because Taymor believed that there was generally no leading female character in the film.[7] Rafiki was portrayed by Tsidii Le Loka in the original Broadway musical, and by Josette Bushell-Mingo in the original London production.

text: Several new scenes are present, including a conversation between Mufasa and Zazu about Mufasa's parenting and a perilous scene in which Timon finds himself nearly drowning in a waterfall while Simba feels powerless to help him. A major narrative addition is the depiction of Nala's departure in the scene "The Madness of King Scar", where the mentally deteriorating villain tries to make Nala his mate. Nala refuses and later announces her intention to depart the Pride Lands and find help. She receives the blessings of the lionesses and Rafiki during the new song "Shadowland".

text: Like its predecessor, the Beauty and the Beast musical, the show adds more songs to its stage production, including "Morning Report", sung by Zazu the hornbill and later added to the film for the Platinum Edition DVD release. "Shadowland". originally featured on the CD Rhythm of the Pride Lands with Zulu lyrics as "Lea Halelela", was adapted for the musical with new English lyrics. It is sung by Nala, the lionesses, and Rafiki. "Endless Night", also from Rhythm of the Pride Lands with Swahili lyrics as "Lala", is sung by Simba while reflecting on Mufasa's promise to always be there. "One by One", from the Rhythm of the Pride Lands CD, was adapted as the rousing African-styled entre act sung by the chorus at the opening of the second act.

text: Many of the animals portrayed in the production are actors in costume using extra tools to move their costumes. For example, the giraffes are portrayed by actors walking on stilts. For principal characters such as Mufasa and Scar, the costumes feature mechanical headpieces that can be raised and lowered to foster the illusion of a cat "lunging" at another. Other characters, such as the hyenas, Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa, are portrayed by actors in life-sized puppets or costumes. The Timon character is described by Taymor as one of the hardest roles to master because the movement of the puppet's head and arms puts a strain on the actor's arms, back, and neck.[8]

text: Composer Lebo M led the original Broadway chorus.[8] The chorus members are usually visible in the production, rather than being hidden in the shadows as seen in some other musical shows.

text: A new section of the production, the Lioness Hunt, features a particularly complicated dance sequence for the actresses, and the dance is made even more difficult by the large headpieces worn during the scene.

text: During the show's run in China, Chinese elements were included in the musical. One of the songs was adapted to a well-known Chinese pop song, "Laoshu ai dami" or "Mice Love Rice". The cast even cracked jokes and attempted conversations with the audience in Chinese.[9]

text: As of June 27, 2010, nine minutes of the Broadway version were cut, among them the entire "Morning Report" musical number.[6] The song was also removed from subsequent productions and cast recordings, such as the Spanish one.

text: Production history

text: United States

text: There is currently[when?] one U.S. touring production.[citation needed] (At one time[when?] there were two US touring productions traveling simultaneously.[citation needed]) The tour version is very similar to the original Broadway production; however, certain scenic elements which rise out of the stage floor (such as Pride Rock, the stampede, and the grasslands) were converted to less costly configurations for the touring productions. The sun during the opening is reduced in size for the shorter-lasting tours. Stage sizes are also smaller, and the size of the pit orchestra is decreased.[citation needed]

text: A Las Vegas production opened at Mandalay Bay on May 15, 2009, with previews beginning May 5, 2009.[10] The Las Vegas cast performed on the ninth season of the American dance competition Dancing With the Stars on September 23, 2009. Led by Buyi Zama, the cast performed Circle of Life.[11] When this production closed, on December 30, 2011, it turned into the second longest run the show had in a same American city (only coming after Broadway), running longer than the 2000–2003 Los Angeles Production.

text: A Los Angeles production began performances at the Pantages Theatre on September 29, 2000, with an official opening on October 19, 2000. The show closed on January 12, 2003, after 952 performances. The cast of this production performed a set of the show's songs in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on October 2, 2001. The cast was led by Fuschia Walker.

text: Canada

text: A Canadian production of the show was staged in Toronto and ran for nearly four years at the Princess of Wales Theatre. The show ran from 1999 to 2004. Degrassi star Raymond Ablack starred as Young Simba in the 2001 production.[12]

text: Mexico

text: The musical had a Mexican limited run (in English) between January 3 and January 27, 2008, in Mexico City, as part of the U.S. national tour.[13]

text: In May 2014, it was confirmed a new production of the musical, this time in Spanish. The production ran from May 7, 2015 to January 14, 2018 at the Teatro Telcel in Mexico City. Carlos Rivera returned to the role of Simba, which he also took in Spain four years earlier. The lyrics of the songs of this production differed from the European Spanish one. South-African actress Shirley Hlahatse was chosen as Rafiki, marking the first time in years a completely new actress was elected for that role.[14]

text: South America

text: A Brazilian production was confirmed to debut in São Paulo in March 28, 2013.[15] Auditions take place in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. The cast contain mainly Brazilian actors and seven South African actors.[16] The Portuguese lyrics were translated by Brazilian singer Gilberto Gil.

text: Actress Phindile Mkhize, who had previously performed in many of the show's productions, was selected as Rafiki for this production, leaving in October 2013 and being replaced by Ntsepa Pitjeng. The show closed its doors on December 14, 2014.[17]

text: Europe

text: United Kingdom

text: After the success of the Broadway show, the show opened in the United Kingdom in on October 19, 1999. The cast included Cornell John as Mufasa, Luke Youngblood as Young Simba, Dominique Moore as Young Nala, Martyn Ellis as Pumbaa, Simon Gregor as Timon, Rob Edwards as Scar, Paul J. Medford as Banzai and Josette Bushell-Mingo as Rafiki.[18][19] As of October 2015, it has been playing at the Lyceum Theatre in London for 16 years. Taymor directed the British production of the show, with Melissa De Melo as the producer. The show also toured the UK from 2012 until March 2015.[20]

text: The West End cast of the show performed twice at the traditional Royal Variety Performance: in 1999 (led by Josette Bushell-Mingo) and 2008 (led by Brown Lindiwe Mkhize). In both performances, the song Circle of Life was performed.[21] The company also performed at the show Strictly Come Dancing special Strictly African Dancing, broadcast in 2005, led once again by Mkhize and performed the same song.

text: Other countries

text: The German production has been playing in Hamburg at the Theater in Hafen since December 2001 and had its 5000th performance on January 14, 2014. Access to the theater is by ferry, where the boats are decorated in the colors of the musical and are named after characters in the musical (such as Nala and its sister ship Rafiki).

text: A Dutch production of the show was produced by Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties/Stage Entertainment and Disney Theatrical Group and played at the Circustheater in Scheveningen and ran from April 4, 2004, until August 27, 2006, replaced by another Disney musical, Tarzan. A revival of the show's Dutch production began performances in the same Circustheater in October 2016.[22]

text: The show's French production debuted in Paris on September 22, 2007, in Stage Entertainment's Théâtre Mogador. This production won several Moliére Awards and closed on July 25, 2010, after being watched by over a million people.[23]

text: On October 20, 2011, the first Spanish production opened at Teatro Lope de Vega in Madrid, where it is still running after more than 2,800 performances.[24][25]

text: In Basel, Switzerland, the musical was performed for the first time from March 12, 2015, until October 11, 2015.[26]

text: Africa

text: Beginning in June 2007, The Lion King debuted its first-ever performance on the African continent in Johannesburg, South Africa. Its tenth anniversary was celebrated in the new Teatro Theatre at Monte Casino in Fourways. The Lion King was the first production to take place in the new theatre. The opening night in Johannesburg was celebrated with key persons involving the creation of the musical and American talk show host Oprah Winfrey who had recently opened an educational academy for girls in Johannesburg[27] The show closed on February 17, 2008.

text: Asia and Australia

text: The show was translated into Japanese and staged by the Shiki Theatre Company. The Tokyo production began in 1998 and continues to the present day at the Shiki Theatre HARU.[28] The production achieved its 10,000th performance on July 15, 2015.[29]

text: The show played at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, from October 16, 2003, until June 26, 2005. The production then ran at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne from July 28, 2005, until June 4, 2006. The Lion King returned to Sydney's Capitol Theatre on December 12, 2013.[30]

text: The musical had a Korean production from October 28, 2006, to October 28, 2007, at the Charlotte Theater in Seoul, where it ran for 330 performances.

text: In August 2008, a production opened in Taipei, Taiwan, closing on August 24, 2009.

text: The show had a limited run at Shanghai's Grand Theatre from July to September 2006. This production was led by Buyi Zama and was performed in English, though a couple of Chinese elements were added to the story.[31] From June 14, 2016, until October 8, 2017, The Lion King returned to China, in a new production that was staged at the 1,200 capacity Walt Disney Grand Theatre, in the Shanghai Disney Resort, where it ran for 500 performances. This production was performed in Mandarin and led by Ntsepa Pitjeng.[32]

text: International tour

text: On March 28, 2018, the first international tour officially opened at the Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila, with confirmed stops in Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and South Africa. All these countries have had productions so far, except the Philippines, where the show will run for two months. The tour is performed in English and led by Ntsepa Pitjeng.[33][34]

text: Antarctica tour

text: As an April Fools' Day joke in 2018, Disney Theatrical released a trailer for an Antarctic production of The Lion King, making it the first musical to perform on all 7 continents of the world. According to the trailer, the show would be adapted to the locality, such as changing Zazu from a hornbill into an emperor penguin or adding polar bear fur onto Simba's costume (despite the fact that Polar Bears don't exist in the Antarctic[35]). Disney went so far as to choreograph certain penguin dance moves, draw concept sketches of the show and the 'ice theatre' and even manufacture costume pieces to legitimise this faux trailer.[36]

text: Characters and original casts

text: The original principal casts of all major productions.

text:
Character
Original Broadway Cast
Original West End Cast

Simba
Jason Raize
Roger Wright

Scar
John Vickery
Rob Edwards

Mufasa
Samuel E. Wright
Cornell John

Nala
Heather Headley
Paulette Ivory

Rafiki
Tsidii Le Loka
Josette Bushell-Mingo

Timon
Max Casella
Simon Gregor

Pumbaa
Tom Alan Robbins
Martyn Ellis

Zazu
Geoff Hoyle
Gregory Gudgeon

Shenzi
Tracy Nicole Chapman
Stephanie Charles

Banzai
Stanley Wayne Mathis
Paul J. Medford

Ed
Kevin Cahoon
Christopher Holt

Sarabi
Gina Breedlove
Dawn Michael

Young Simba
Scott Irby-Ranniar
Luke Youngblood

Young Nala
Kajuana Shuford
Dominique Moore

text: Cast distinctions

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Phindile Mkhize and Ntsepa Ptjeng are the only actresses who performed as leadings in three different languages the musical's been performed in. Phindile performed in English (American tour and Las Vegas, 2002–2010), Spanish (from 2012 to 2013) and Portuguese (2013); while Ntsepa was leading in Brazil (2014, as a substitute to Phindile), Basel (2015) and Shanghai (2016).
They are followed by Zama Magudulela, who performed as leading in two different languages the musical's been performed in: French (2007 to 2010) and Spanish (2011 to the present day). Zama is also the sole actress ever to perform in four different companies, as she was in the first Australian tour (2003–2006), German (2006), French (2007–2010) and Spanish (2011-present) productions.
Portia Manyike is the only actress ever to perform in three different languages, though she was never promoted to leading cast member. She's been part of the ensemble in France, Brazil and Mexico.
Nteliseng Nkhela (German and English), Nomvula Dlamini (English and Dutch), Ntsepa Pitjeng (English,Portuguese and Mandarin), Thabile Mtshali (English and Portuguese) and Mukelisiwe Goba (English and Spanish) are the only actresses who performed as leading Rafikis in productions in two different languages.
John Vickery was the first actor to move from Broadway into a different production of the show, when he chose to leave Broadway in 1999 to move to the Los Angeles production in 2000.
Sheila Gibbs was the first actress to move from a standby into a leading role. She was a Rafiki understudy for Tsidi Le Loka from 1997 to 1998 and was selected as leading from 2001 to 2002. This was followed by Gugwana Dlamini, who was a standby (1999–2002) and a leading (2002–2005) in the show's London production and Buyisile Zama, who was a standby for Gugwana in London (2002–2003) and leading actress for the show's first Australian tour (2003–2006).
Nomvula Dlamini was the first, and so far the only, actress who moved from Broadway into a production performed in a different language, being the leading Rafiki on Broadway (2002–2004) and Holland (2004–2006).
Spanish actors Esteban Oliver and Mukelisiwe Goba were the first actors who moved from Spain into Broadway, when they respectively took over the role of Zazu and Rafiki understudy in 2014 for a couple of months. Mukelisiwe then was transferred to the Gazelle Tour, taking over Tshidi Manye in September 2015.[37]
Having been in the show since its 1997 premiere, actress Lindiwe Dlamini is the actress who's been for more time in the show. She's followed by Joachim Benoit, who's been regularly performing as Zazu since the show premiered in Germany, in 2001.
Melina M'Poy was the first actress to perform as the two leading lionesses. She was Sarabi (France, 2007–2010) and Nala (Basel, London, UK tour and Singapore, 2011–2015).
The Londoner production is known to have been the first to have selected non-African actresses to perform as Rafiki, since actresses Josette Bushell-Mingo (1999–2001) and Sharon D. Clarke (2001–2003) are English, though their understudies were South African. The American tour companies followed this when Fredi Walker and Fuchsia Walker were chosen as Rafiki in 2001 as leadings for the first American tour and the Los Angeles one, respectively.[38]
The Japanese and Korean productions also stand out since never throughout them the productions had leading African actresses. Native Japanese and Korean actresses performed as Rafiki during the productions.
Buyi Zama (2002–2016), Zama Magudulela (2002 up to the present day), Brown Lindiwe Mkhize (starting in 2005), Futhi Mhlongo (2000–2004; 2010 to 2018), Tshidi Manye (2000 up to the present day), Gugwana Dlamini (2002–2015), Thandazile A. Soni (2002–2010; 2012 up to the present day), and Mpume Sikakane (2002 up to the present day) are the actresses who've been performing as either leading or stand-bys to Rafiki for the longest time, having performed in several productions.
Alton Fitzgerald White (2002–2015), Nathaniel Stampley (2006–2010), and David Comrie (leading in the Spanish production from 2011 to 2017) performed as Mufasa for longer than any other actor. Behind them comes Jean-Luc Guizonne, who performed in Paris, Singapore and German (from 2007 to 2014).
On several occasions, members from different productions agreed to change places. That happened twice: when Patrick Brown (American tour) and Gareth Saxe (Broadway) changed places as leading Scar in 2014–2015; Buyi Zama (American tour) changed places with Tshidi Manye (Broadway) as Rafiki in 2013–2014 and when Brown Lindiwe Mkhize (London) changed places with Nteliseng Nkhela (American tour) again as Rafiki in 2013. More recently, Tryphena Wade and Chondra Profit agreed to change places from the North American tour to Broadway.[39]
When actress Shirley Hlahatse was chosen as the leading Rafiki in the Mexican production of the show, it marked the first time in years an actress who had never been in the show before was given the role. In most occasions, understudies or standbys were promoted to leading.
South African dancer Keswa was 18 years old when she arrived on Broadway in 1999. She was the youngest performer ever to be given a role in the show's ensemble group.
Balungile Gumede and Marvette Williams are the actresses who have played Sarabi for the longest timespan in the show. Balungile started in the German production of the show in 2010, taking over Marvette, who had played the character in various productions of the show since 2000 and kept playing it in subsequent productions. They are followed by Tryphena Wade, who's also performing as the lioness since 2010.
Enrique Segura is the actor who played Ed for the longest timespan in the show, being on it for more than a decade.
Segura is followed by Bonita J. Hamilton and James Brown-Orleans, who have been performing as hyenas Shenzi and Banzai for more than 5 years.
Nokubonga Khuzwayo has been performing as Nala for the longest timespan in the show. She's performed in South Africa (2007–2008), Taiwan (2008), Las Vegas (2010–2011), American tour (2011) and Germany (from 2012 up to the present time).
Lebo M, Tsidii LeLoka, Willi Welp and Gustavo Vaz were the only actors who were performers and directors of the show. Lebo M was the composer of various of the show's songs and performed on Broadway (1997–2000), Willi Welp performed as Scar from 2005 to 2015 and then left to be the resident director of the show's German production and Gustavo was the resident director of the show's Brazilian production at the same time he was a Scar and Pumbaa standby. Original Broadway Rafiki Tsidi LeLoka was also part of the show's creative team, as she's the one responsible for adding Rafiki's chants to the story and writing her mourning song.
When Carlos Rivera played his 1000th performance on January 27, 2016, he turned into the actor who's been performing as a leading Simba for the longest time in the show. He played the role in Spain for 700 times and for more than 300 times in Mexico.[40] He finally left the show in May 2016.
Rivera is also the sole leading cast member whose voice can be heard in two different recordings. He takes part in the Spanish (2011) and Mexican (2015) cast recordings.
While it's a rule for all the productions of the show to have at least 6 South African performers in their casts, the South African one had a cast fully made of native actors.
Nosipho Nkonqa is the cast member who's been in more productions than any other. She was in the Holland (2004–2006), South African (2007–2008), Taiwan (2008), Singapore (2011), United Kingdom tour (2012–2015), Basel (2015) and London (2016) productions. She is followed by Mduduzi Madela, who served in the ensemble group in Holland (2004–2006), Paris (2007–2010), Las Vegas (2010–2012), United Kingdom tour (2012–2013) and Broadway (2013-present).
Andile Gumbi is the actor who performed as Simba for the longest time in the show. He was in the original Australian tour (2003–2006), Shanghai (2006), Johannesburg (2007–2008), London (2009–2012) and Broadway (2012–2013).[41] He is followed by Jonathan Andrew Hume, who performed as a standby (2001–2011) and as a full-time cast member (2011–2016) for the role.
Vusi Sondyazi is one of the actors who've been on the show for the longest time. He's been serving as an ensemble singer and Mufasa understudy since 2003 and stays in the Gazelle Tour cast at the present, after having performed on Broadway, Taipei and Las Vegas as well.
Ntomb'Khona Dlamini is the actress who served as an understudy or ensemble member for the longest time. She was in the original Broadway company as an understudy to Tsidi LeLoka. After leaving for a brief time between 2000 and 2001, she went on to perform in the American tours. Summing up all this time, she's been in the show for more than 15 years, finally leaving the company in 2013.
Gaia Aikman will be the first actress ever to perform as both Young and Adult Nala. She was one of the children assigned for that role in the original Dutch production (2004–2006) and was selected as the leading for the adult version of the same character in the Dutch revival production (2016–2017).

tag: ul

text: Recordings

text: Most of the show's international productions had cast recordings which are available on CD, including:[42]

text:
1997 Broadway Cast

The original Broadway cast recording is the only cast recording of the musical that comes with the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". It's also the only cast recording that does not come with the full reprise of "Circle of Life", the last four verses of that song being added to the CD.

1999 Japanese Cast

The Japanese cast recording was re-released in 2011 with four extra karaoke tracks and new renditions of the songs using the instrumental tracks of the 1999 CD. (Walt Disney Records, ASIN: B0058X1C3S)[43]

2002 German Cast

At sometime after the show's German debut, alternate versions of the songs "Der ewige kreis", "Endlose Nacht", "Er lebt in dir" and "Kann es wirklich liebe sein" (German versions of "Circle of Life", "Endless Night", "He Lives in You" and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?") were released.

2004 Dutch Cast

The 2016 Dutch revival production had a newly live recorded cast album with different instrumental tracks for the songs.

2007 French Cast

Some time during the promotion of the French promotion, a CD-single containing a medley of the songs "Ils Vivent en Toi" and "Il Vit en Toi" (French versions of "They Live in You" and "He Lives in You") was released, with a music video being recorded with actors Zama Magudulela (Rafiki), Jeremy Fontanet (Adult Simba) and Jean-Luc Guizonne (Mufasa) performing and singing the song with natives chanting in the background. This new version of the songs were also included in a special, double edition of the French cast recording that also came with a bonus DVD.[44]

2007 South African Cast (live performance audio CD)

The song "Rafiki Mourns" was cut from this CD, while every other song was included in their complete form. The CD also comes with a remix of the song "One by One" performed by the cast.[45]

2011 Spanish Cast

The Spanish CD already comes with the cuts made to the Broadway production in 2010. The song "The Morning Report" was totally cut, with some minutes of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and "The Madness of King Scar". Also, it is the only non-English CD where "One by One" was renamed due to the language (in Spanish, it became "Somos mil"), though the song is performed with its original lyrics.

2015 Mexican Cast

In this release, the Mexican Spanish versions of Simba Confronts Scar and Circle of Life (Reprise) were comprised into a single song, this version being named Confrontación/Finale. It also includes the song which Timon sings to fool the hyenas, which was recorded in the studio and added to the cast album.
With the release of the Mexican cast recording, Spanish was the first language in which the musical was performed that spawned two different cast recordings. Mexican Spanish lyrics were translated by Aleks Syntek and Armando Manzanero.[46]

Note: A recording entitled The Lion King, by the London Theatre Orchestra and Singers, was released on November 14, 2000 (D-3 Entertainment, ASIN: B00004ZDR6). This is not the London original cast recording.[47]

text: Of all the show's productions (counting the English ones), only the Brazilian and the Korean ones didn't have cast recordings released.

text: The Lion King: Original Broadway Cast Recording is a cast recording released on 1997 by The Walt Disney Company, a recording of the songs as heard in the stage musical. Most of the tracks were composed by African composer Lebo M. and focused primarily on the African influences of the film's original music, with most songs being sung either partially or entirely in various African languages.

text: Rafiki's chants in "Rafiki Mourns" were written by Tsidii Le Loka, who originated the role on Broadway.

text:
"Circle of Life" – Faca Kulu, Lebo M, The Lion King Ensemble and Tsidii Le Loka
"Grasslands Chant" – The Lion King Ensemble
"The Morning Report" – Geoff Hoyle, Samuel E. Wright and Scott Irby-Ranniar
"The Lioness Hunt" – Lebo M and The Lion King Ensemble
"I Just Can't Wait to Be King" – Geoff Hoyle, Kajuana Shuford, Scott Irby-Ranniar and The Lion King Ensemble
"Chow Down" – Kevin Cahoon, Stanley Wayne Mathis and Tracy Nicole Chapman
"They Live in You" – Samuel E. Wright and The Lion King Ensemble
"Be Prepared" – John Vickery, Kevin Cahoon, Stanley Wayne Mathis, The Lion King Ensemble and Tracy Nicole Chapman
"The Stampede" – The Lion King Ensemble
"Rafiki Mourns" – The Lion King Ensemble and Tsidii Le Loka
"Hakuna Matata" – Jason Raize, Max Casella, Scott Irby-Ranniar, The Lion King Ensemble and Tom Alan Robbins
"One by One" – Lebo M and The Lion King Ensemble
"The Madness of King Scar" – Geoff Hoyle, Heather Headley, John Vickery, Kevin Cahoon, Stanley Wayne Mathis and Tracy Nicole Chapman
"Shadowland" – Heather Headley, The Lion King Ensemble and Tsidii Le Loka
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" – Lebo M
"Endless Night" – Jason Raize and The Lion King Ensemble
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – Heather Headley, Jason Raize, Max Casella, The Lion King Ensemble and Tom Alan Robbins
"He Lives in You (Reprise)" – Jason Raize, The Lion King Ensemble and Tsidii Le Loka
"Simba Confronts Scar" – Mark Mancina and Robert Elhai
"King of Pride Rock/Circle of Life (Reprise)" – Geoff Hoyle, Heather Headley, Jason Raize, Lebo M, Max Casella, The Lion King Ensemble, Tom Alan Robbins and Tsidii Le Loka

tag: ol

text: Note: The songs "Grasslands Chant", "The Lioness Hunt", "Chow Down", "They Live in You", "Rafiki Mourns", "One by One", "The Madness of King Scar", "Shadowland", "Endless Night" and "Simba Confronts Scar" are new songs written for the musical.

text: Instrumentation

text: The original broadway show included:[48]

text:
1 wood flute soloist/flute/piccolo
1 concertmistress
2 violins
1 violin/viola
2 cellos
1 flute/clarinet/bass clarinet
3 French horns
1 trombone
1 bass trombone/tuba
1 upright & electric basses
1 drums
1 guitar
2 mallets/percussion
2 percussion
3 keyboard synthesizers

text: Awards and nominations

text: Original Broadway production

text:
Year
Award Ceremony
Category
Nominee
Result

1998
Drama Desk Awards
Outstanding Musical
Nominated

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Max Casella
Nominated

Geoff Hoyle
Nominated

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Tsidii Le Loka
Won

Outstanding Director
Julie Taymor
Won

Outstanding Choreography
Garth Fagan
Won

Outstanding Orchestrations
Robert Elhai, David Metzger, and Bruce Fowler
Nominated

Outstanding Set Design
Richard Hudson
Won

Outstanding Costume Design
Julie Taymor
Won

Outstanding Lighting Design
Donald Holder
Won

Outstanding Sound Design
Tony Meola
Won

Outstanding Puppet Design
Julie Taymor and Michael Curry
Won

Theatre World Awards

Max Casella
Won

Tony Awards
Best Musical
Won

Best Book of a Musical
Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi
Nominated

Best Original Score
Elton John, Tim Rice, Hans Zimmer, Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin and Julie Taymor
Nominated

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Samuel E. Wright
Nominated

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Tsidii Le Loka
Nominated

Best Direction of a Musical
Julie Taymor
Won

Best Choreography
Garth Fagan
Won

Best Orchestrations
Robert Elhai, David Metzger and Bruce Fowler
Nominated

Best Scenic Design for a Musical
Richard Hudson
Won

Best Costume Design for a Musical
Julie Taymor and Michael Curry
Won

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Donald Holder
Won

text: Original London production

text:
Year
Award Ceremony
Category
Nominee
Result

1999
Laurence Olivier Awards
Best New Musical
Nominated

Best Actor in a Musical
Rob Edwards
Nominated

Best Actress in a Musical
Josette Bushell-Mingo
Nominated

Best Director
Julie Taymor
Nominated

Best Theatre Choreographer
Garth Fagan
Won

Best Set Design
Richard Hudson
Nominated

Best Costume Design
Julie Taymor
Won

Best Lighting Design
Donald Holder
Nominated

text: Original France production

text:
Year
Award Ceremony
Category
Nominee
Result

2008
Molière Awards
Best Musical
Won

Best Costume Design
Julie Taymor
Won

Best Lighting Design
Donald Holder
Won