Hugh Masekela

Hugh Ramapolo Masekela was one of Africa's greatest musicians, a world renowned trumpeter, flugelhorn player, composer, singer and anti-apartheid activist. Revered as the ‘Father of South African Jazz’, Masekela enjoyed a career spanning more than six decades, during which he became an international ambassador for African music. His distinctive blend of jazz, mbaqanga, Afro-pop and traditional South African sounds, combined with his unwavering commitment to social justice, established him as a highly influential cultural figure.

Born in Mpumalanga, Masekela was introduced to the trumpet as a teenager by anti-apartheid priest Trevor Huddleston. He quickly emerged as a gifted musician, performing with the pioneering jazz group The Jazz Epistles before leaving South Africa in exile in 1960. During his years abroad he studied at the Manhattan School of Music, collaborated with artists including Harry Belafonte, Dizzy Gillespie, Herb Alpert and Paul Simon, and built an acclaimed international career.

His breakthrough came in 1968 when the instrumental Grazing in the Grass reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, making him the first South African artist to achieve this feat. Throughout his career, Masekela released more than 40 albums. Among his most celebrated recordings are The Promise of a Future, Home Is Where the Music Is, Techno Bush, Tomorrow, Hope, Time, Revival, Jabulani and No Borders. His best known songs include Grazing in the Grass, Stimela (Coal Train), Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela), Thanayi, Don't Go Lose It Baby, Lady, Soweto Blues and Send Me (Thuma Mina), many of which became enduring anthems of African music and the struggle for freedom.

Masekela received numerous honours during his lifetime, including the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold, the BBC Radio Jazz Award for International Artist, the MTV Africa Music Awards Legend Award, the Channel O Lifetime Achievement Award and several honorary doctorates. He was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including a nomination for Jabulani in 2013. Hugh Masekela died in Johannesburg on 23 January 2018 at the age of 78 after a long battle with prostate cancer. His extraordinary legacy continues to inspire musicians around the world, and he is remembered not only as a virtuoso performer but as a fearless voice for justice, freedom and African identity.