Hugh Masekela facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hugh Masekela
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Masekela performing in 2011
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Hugh Ramapolo Masekela
4 April 1939 Witbank, Union of South Africa
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| Died | 23 January 2018 (aged 78) Johannesburg, South Africa
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| Years active | 1956–2018 |
| Children | Selema Masekela |
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Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (born April 4, 1939 – died January 23, 2018) was a famous South African musician. He played the trumpet, flugelhorn, and cornet, and was also a singer and composer. Many people called him "the father of South African jazz" because of his important contributions to music.
Masekela was well-known for his jazz songs and for writing powerful songs against apartheid. Apartheid was a system of unfair laws and separation in South Africa. His songs like "Soweto Blues" and "Bring Him Back Home" became anthems for change. He also had a huge pop hit in the United States in 1968 with his song "Grazing in the Grass". This song was so popular that other artists later covered it.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Hugh Ramapolo Masekela was born in a town called Witbank (now Emalahleni) in South Africa. His father, Thomas Selena Masekela, was a health inspector, and his mother, Pauline Bowers Masekela, was a social worker. His younger sister, Barbara Masekela, is a poet and activist. Hugh spent much of his childhood with his grandmother.
When he was 14, Masekela was inspired to play the trumpet after watching a movie called Young Man with a Horn. Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, a chaplain who worked against apartheid, bought him his first trumpet. Huddleston also arranged for Masekela to learn from Uncle Sauda, a leader of a local brass band.
Masekela quickly became very good at the trumpet. Soon, his school friends also wanted to play instruments. This led to the creation of the Huddleston Jazz Band, which was South Africa's first youth orchestra. The famous American jazz musician Louis Armstrong even sent Masekela one of his own trumpets as a gift! By 1956, Masekela was already leading other music groups.
From a young age, Masekela's music reflected his experiences. The challenges and unfairness in South Africa during the 1950s and 1960s deeply influenced him. He used his music to share the struggles and joys of his country. His songs spoke out against apartheid and the difficulties people faced. Through his music, Masekela connected with many people who felt oppressed.
In 1958, Masekela joined the orchestra for a musical called King Kong. This was a very successful South African show that toured the country. Famous singer Miriam Makeba was one of the stars.
A Career for Change and Music
In late 1959, Hugh Masekela and other talented musicians formed the Jazz Epistles. This was the first African jazz group to record a full album. They performed to large audiences in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
However, in 1960, a tragic event called the Sharpeville massacre occurred. Many protesters were killed, and the South African government made strict new laws. Because of the increasing unfairness of apartheid, Masekela decided to leave South Africa. Friends like Archbishop Huddleston helped him get into the Guildhall School of Music in London.
Masekela later moved to the United States to study classical trumpet at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. While there, he became friends with musician Harry Belafonte. In 1964, Masekela married Miriam Makeba, though they divorced two years later.
He became very successful in the US with pop jazz songs. His song "Grazing in the Grass" was a number-one hit in 1968, selling millions of copies! He also performed at the famous Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
Masekela often played with jazz groups and made guest appearances on albums by artists like Paul Simon. In 1987, he released the hit song "Bring Him Back Home". This song became incredibly popular. It was an unofficial anthem for the movement to end apartheid and to free Nelson Mandela, who was a political prisoner at the time.
Hugh Masekela was always interested in his African roots. He worked with musicians from different parts of Africa. From 1980 to 1984, he even set up a mobile music studio in Botswana, near the South African border. There, he rediscovered and used the mbaqanga music style, which he continued to play after returning to South Africa in the early 1990s.
In 1985, Masekela started the Botswana International School of Music (BISM). This school holds an annual music camp, allowing musicians of all ages to play and perform together. Masekela taught jazz at the first workshop.
During the 1980s, Masekela toured with Paul Simon for his famous Graceland album. This tour also featured other South African artists like Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Miriam Makeba. Masekela also helped create the music for the Broadway play Sarafina!, which opened in 1988.
In 2003, he was featured in a documentary film called Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony. In 2004, he released his autobiography, Still Grazing: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela. This book shared his journey and his fight against apartheid. He released many albums throughout his career, blending jazz, funk, and South African sounds. His song "Soweto Blues", sung by Miriam Makeba, is a powerful jazz piece that remembers the Soweto riots of 1976.
In 2009, Masekela released the album Phola, which means "to get well, to heal". In 2010, he appeared in a video series with his son, Selema Masekela, for ESPN. The series, called Umlando – Through My Father's Eyes, showed them traveling through South Africa. It was Selema's first visit to his father's homeland.
In 2013, Masekela performed with the Dave Matthews Band in Johannesburg. He played trumpet on their songs "Proudest Monkey" and "Grazing in the Grass". In 2016, Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim performed together for the first time in 60 years. They reunited the Jazz Epistles to remember the 40th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising.
Social Initiatives and Helping Others
Hugh Masekela was involved in many social projects. He was a director on the board of the Lunchbox Fund, a group that provides daily meals to students in township schools in Soweto. He believed in using his influence to help his community.
Personal Life and Legacy
Hugh Masekela was married to singer and activist Miriam Makeba from 1964 to 1966. He later married Chris Calloway, Jabu Mbatha, and Elinam Cofie. In his later years, he lived with dancer Nomsa Manaka. He was the father of American television host Selema Masekela. His younger sister, Barbara Masekela, is a poet and activist.
Masekela passed away in Johannesburg on January 23, 2018, at the age of 78, due to prostate cancer.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Hugh Masekela received many awards and honors throughout his life.
- On April 4, 2019, which would have been his 80th birthday, Google Doodle honored him with a special drawing. The drawing showed Masekela playing his flugelhorn.
- In 2026, a new nightclub called "Hugh's" opened in Johannesburg, dedicated to his memory. This was set up with the help of the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation.
Grammy Award Nominations
Masekela was nominated for a Grammy Award three times:
- In 1968, for Best Contemporary Pop Performance for his hit song "Grazing in the Grass".
- In 1989, for Best Musical Cast Show Album for Sarafina! The Music Of Liberation.
- In 2012, for Best World Music Album for his album Jabulani.
Other Honours
- 1998: Nominated for a Tony Award for Best Score for the musical Sarafina!.
- 2002: Received the International Award of the Year from BBC Radio Jazz Awards.
- 2003: Awarded the Order for Meritorious Service in silver.
- 2005: Received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Channel O Music Video Awards.
- 2010: Awarded the Order of Ikhamanga in gold, a high honor in South Africa.
- 2014: Received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from the University of York.
- 2015: Received a Doctor of Music (honoris causa) from Rhodes University.
- 2016: Received the Legend Award at the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs).
His Music and Albums
Hugh Masekela released many albums during his long and successful career. Some of his well-known albums include Trumpet Africaine, The Promise of a Future, Techno-Bush, and Tomorrow. His music often blended traditional African sounds with jazz and pop, creating a unique style that inspired many. He had popular songs like "Up-Up and Away" and his number-one hit "Grazing in the Grass".
Images for kids
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Masekela in Washington, D.C., 2007
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Masekela in Washington, D.C., 2007
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See also
In Spanish: Hugh Masekela para niños
