Hugh Masekela
A trumpeter whose music became the defiant soundtrack of the anti-apartheid struggle, blending South African rhythms with global jazz.
1939–2018 (age 79)·South African musician and composer·Birthday: April 4·The Silent Generation
Biography
Hugh Masekela's life was a journey of exile and homecoming, told through the bell of his horn. Born in a township near Johannesburg, he was given his first trumpet by anti-apartheid activist Father Trevor Huddleston, a gift that would shape a nation's conscience. Fleeing the brutal apartheid regime in 1960, he honed his craft in London and New York, absorbing the sounds of bop and soul but never losing the distinct, mournful-to-joyful melodies of his homeland. His 1968 instrumental 'Grazing in the Grass' was a global pop smash, but his true purpose was always political. Songs like 'Bring Him Back Home,' written for Nelson Mandela, and 'Soweto Blues,' capturing the 1976 student uprising, made him the musical voice of the liberation movement. After Mandela's release, Masekela returned to South Africa, his music evolving into a celebration of hard-won freedom and a reminder of enduring struggles, cementing his role as a cultural architect of modern South Africa.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Hugh was born in 1939, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Hugh Was Born
The biggest hits of 1939
#1 Movie
Gone with the Wind
Best Picture
Gone with the Wind
Hugh's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1939Born
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1944Started school
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1952Became a teenager
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Could drive
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1957Could vote
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Turned 21
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1969Turned 30
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 40
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 50
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 60
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 70
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2018Died at 79
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
Key Achievements
- Scored a number-one U.S. pop hit in 1968 with his instrumental single 'Grazing in the Grass.'
- Composed the seminal anti-apartheid anthem 'Bring Him Back Home,' which became a global demand for Nelson Mandela's release.
- Co-wrote 'Soweto Blues' with Miriam Makeba, a powerful musical document of the 1976 Soweto Uprising.
- Founded the record label Chisa Records in the late 1960s, promoting African music in the United States.
Did You Know?
His first trumpet was given to him by Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, who asked a local music teacher to form a band for young Masekela.
He was married to singer Miriam Makeba from 1964 to 1966.
He performed at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, a landmark event in rock history.
He collaborated with artists as diverse as Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, and Fela Kuti.
“ "Music is the only thing that's going to be here when we're all gone. It's the only thing that's eternal."”
