Hugh Masekela

Hugh Masekela, born near Johannesburg in 1939, has covered the globe and played with just about every top star you can think of. Masekela was originally introduced to the trumpet by anti-apartheid activist Father Trevor Huddleston. The anti-apartheid movement became an important influence in his life, but not as important as the music that ended up taking him around the world many times. In his early days in the South African music scene Masekela played with such names as pianist Dollar Brand (now known as Abdullah Ibrahim), Jonas Gwangwa, and Kippie Moeketsi as teenageers in the Father Huddleston Band. In 1961 Masekela went into exile where Harry Belafonte helped him settle in the U.