Hugh Masekela
Musician, composer and singer
By South African Index Editorial Desk · Published
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Hugh Masekela was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer and singer whose international music career was closely linked to opposition to apartheid. He received the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold in 2010. [1][2]
Biography
Masekela was born in Witbank in 1939 and began playing trumpet as a teenager. His official biography records early work with the Huddleston Jazz Band, the musical King Kong and the Jazz Epistles before he left South Africa in 1960. [1]
During decades outside South Africa he studied at the Manhattan School of Music and developed an international recording and touring career. His 1968 recording Grazing in the Grass became a major international hit, while his music and public work continued to engage with South African politics and culture. [1]
Masekela returned to South Africa after decades in exile and continued recording, performing and mentoring. In 2010 he received the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold for his contribution to music and the struggle against apartheid. He died on 23 January 2018. [1][2][3]
Key contributions
Helped bring South African jazz and musical traditions to international audiences through a career spanning performance, composition and recording. [1]
Used music and public advocacy in opposition to apartheid, work cited in his Order of Ikhamanga in Gold. [2]
Career timeline
Sources
- Hugh Masekela, Biography. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-24. ↩
- South African Government, National Orders awards April 2010, 2010-04-27. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-24. ↩
- South African Government, Minister Nathi Mthethwa pays tribute to jazz legend and global icon Hugh Masekela, 2018-01-23. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-24. ↩