Johannesburg Street Band, Hugh Masakela

Biography

Hugh Ramapolo Masekela was born on April 4, 1939, in Witbank, near Johannesburg, South Africa. He displayed early musical talent, playing piano as a child, but at age 14, inspired by the film 'Young Man with a Horn' featuring Kirk Douglas as jazz trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke, he took up the trumpet gifted by anti-apartheid activist Father Trevor Huddleston. This led to the formation of the Huddleston Jazz Band, South Africa's first youth orchestra, and he soon mastered the instrument under the guidance of local bandleader Uncle Sauda.[1][3][4][5]

Masekela's career blossomed in the late 1950s with performances in the musical 'King Kong' and as a key member of the Jazz Epistles alongside Abdullah Ibrahim, Kippie Moeketsi, and Jonas Gwangwa—the first African jazz group to record an LP—drawing record crowds in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Forced into exile after the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre, he moved abroad, recording with ex-wife Miriam Makeba, achieving a U.S. #1 hit with 'Grazing in the Grass' in 1968, and blending jazz, mbaqanga, funk, and Afro-soul. He set up a mobile studio in Botswana in the 1980s, collaborated on Paul Simon's Graceland tour, and released anti-apartheid anthems like 'Soweto Blues' and 'Bring Him Back Home,' the latter becoming a Mandela release anthem.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Known as the 'father of South African jazz,' Masekela's style fused African rhythms with global jazz influences, evolving through phases of American R&B fusion, African jazz revival, and township sounds in albums like 'Techno-Bush,' 'Tomorrow,' and 'Uptownship.' He returned to South Africa in 1991 for his first tour post-apartheid, continued touring worldwide until his death on January 23, 2018, leaving a legacy of musical innovation, political defiance, and cultural unity.[1][3][4][5]

Fun Facts

• Inspired by Kirk Douglas's portrayal of Bix Beiderbecke in 'Young Man with a Horn,' Masekela switched from piano to trumpet at age 14, kickstarting his jazz journey.
• His 1968 instrumental cover of 'Grazing in the Grass' topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, making him the first African artist with a #1 pop hit.
• Masekela defended Paul Simon's Graceland tour against ANC cultural boycott criticism, performing alongside South African artists like Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
• In the 1980s, he built a mobile studio in Botswana to evade apartheid restrictions and experiment with mbaqanga strains.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Father Trevor Huddleston - Provided trumpet and advocated for his early music education (Huddleston Jazz Band formation) [1953]
• Uncle Sauda - Taught rudiments of trumpet playing (Johannesburg Native Municipal Brass Band) [1950s]
• Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis - Early jazz inspirations via records and idols (Influenced initial style development) [Childhood to teens]

Key Collaborators

• Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand), Kippie Moeketsi, Jonas Gwangwa, Makhaya Ntshoko, Johnny Gertze - Bandmates in pioneering jazz group (Jazz Epistles LP) [1959-1960]
• Miriam Makeba - Ex-wife, frequent recording partner and arranger (Her albums; his early solo work like Trumpet Africaine) [1960s]
• Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Tour and album collaborators amid cultural boycott debates (Graceland tour and album) [1980s]
• Herb Alpert - Recorded fusion albums blending South African sounds (Two collaborative albums) [1970s]

Artists Influenced

• West and Central African musicians, South African players - Through mobile studio and collaborations reconnecting to roots (Mbaqanga-influenced recordings) [1980s]
• Ray Phiri, Kalahari band members - Shared stage and elements in Graceland project (Graceland album) [1980s]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia