- Born
- Died
- Birth nameHugh Ramapolo Masekela
- Hugh Masekela was born on April 4, 1939 in Wilbank, South Africa. He was an actor and composer, known for The Jewel of the Nile (1985), The Last King of Scotland (2006) and Blended (2014). He was married to Elinam Cofie, Jabu Mbatha, Chris Calloway and Miriam Makeba. He died on January 23, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
- SpousesElinam Cofie(February 10, 1999 - ?) (divorced)Jabu Mbatha(August 14, 1981 - December 4, 1997) (divorced)Chris Calloway(1968 - August 1968) (divorced)Miriam Makeba(May 9, 1964 - 1966) (divorced)
- ChildrenMotlaepula
- ParentsThomas Selena MasekelaPauline Bowers Masekela
- RelativesBarbara Masekela(Sibling)Elaine Masekela(Sibling)
- Was nominated for Broadway's 1988 Tony Award as Best Score (Musical), with music and lyrics collaborator Mbongeni Ngema, for "Sarafina!"
- In 1967, he appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival alongside Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix.
- He was a jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. He started playing trumpet at 14, and had an influential role in the music scene in Johannesburg as a member of the Jazz Epistles. In the 1960s, he went into exile in the UK and the US where he used music to spread awareness of the oppressive system of apartheid in South Africa. In 1968, he had an international number-one instrumental hit with "Grazing In The Grass." He returned to South Africa in 1990 following the release of Nelson Mandela.
- Was friends with Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Charles Mingus.
- Father of Selema Masekela, and daughter Motlalepula.
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