MUSICIAN
Hugh Masekela
1939 - 2018

Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for writing well-known anti-apartheid songs such as "Soweto Blues" and "Bring Him Back Home". He also had a number-one US pop hit in 1968 with his version of "Grazing in the Grass". Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Hugh Masekela is the 1,250th most popular musician (up from 1,354th in 2019), the 104th most popular biography from South Africa (up from 107th in 2019) and the 3rd most popular South African Musician.
Memorability Metrics
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Among MUSICIANS
Among musicians, Hugh Masekela ranks 1,250 out of 3,175. Before him are Michael Sembello, Joey Kramer, Greg K., Louis Jordan, Arif Mardin, and Norah Jones. After him are Mieczysław Horszowski, Yoshiki, Richard Marx, Daryl Hall, Phil Campbell, and Jimmy Cobb.
Most Popular Musicians in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsMichael Sembello
1954 - Present
HPI: 57.18
Rank: 1,244
Joey Kramer
1950 - Present
HPI: 57.18
Rank: 1,245
Greg K.
1965 - Present
HPI: 57.18
Rank: 1,246
Louis Jordan
1908 - 1975
HPI: 57.18
Rank: 1,247
Arif Mardin
1932 - 2006
HPI: 57.15
Rank: 1,248
Norah Jones
1979 - Present
HPI: 57.15
Rank: 1,249
Hugh Masekela
1939 - 2018
HPI: 57.13
Rank: 1,250
Mieczysław Horszowski
1892 - 1993
HPI: 57.13
Rank: 1,251
Yoshiki
1965 - Present
HPI: 57.11
Rank: 1,252
Richard Marx
1963 - Present
HPI: 57.11
Rank: 1,253
Daryl Hall
1946 - Present
HPI: 57.11
Rank: 1,254
Phil Campbell
1961 - Present
HPI: 57.11
Rank: 1,255
Jimmy Cobb
1929 - 2020
HPI: 57.11
Rank: 1,256
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1939, Hugh Masekela ranks 356. Before him are Renée Schuurman, Jimmie Nicol, Pierluigi Pizzaballa, Yaakov Neeman, Valentin Afonin, and Carlos Alberto Silva. After him are Alessandra Panaro, Klavdiya Boyarskikh, Günter Bernard, Melinda Dillon, Carmelo Bossi, and Jorge Toro. Among people deceased in 2018, Hugh Masekela ranks 291. Before him are Anne Treisman, Andrei Bitov, Otis Rush, Tony Joe White, Piotr Szulkin, and Angelo Vanzin. After him are George Maxwell Richards, Susan Anspach, Sergei Mavrodi, Ion Ciubuc, Zvonko Bego, and María Dolores Pradera.
Others Born in 1939
Go to all RankingsRenée Schuurman
TENNIS PLAYER
1939 - 2001
HPI: 57.27
Rank: 350
Jimmie Nicol
MUSICIAN
1939 - Present
HPI: 57.26
Rank: 351
Pierluigi Pizzaballa
SOCCER PLAYER
1939 - Present
HPI: 57.25
Rank: 352
Yaakov Neeman
POLITICIAN
1939 - 2017
HPI: 57.25
Rank: 353
Valentin Afonin
SOCCER PLAYER
1939 - 2021
HPI: 57.15
Rank: 354
Carlos Alberto Silva
SOCCER PLAYER
1939 - 2017
HPI: 57.14
Rank: 355
Hugh Masekela
MUSICIAN
1939 - 2018
HPI: 57.13
Rank: 356
Alessandra Panaro
ACTOR
1939 - 2019
HPI: 57.02
Rank: 357
Klavdiya Boyarskikh
POLITICIAN
1939 - 2009
HPI: 57.01
Rank: 358
Günter Bernard
SOCCER PLAYER
1939 - Present
HPI: 56.99
Rank: 359
Melinda Dillon
ACTOR
1939 - 2023
HPI: 56.82
Rank: 360
Carmelo Bossi
BOXER
1939 - 2014
HPI: 56.81
Rank: 361
Jorge Toro
SOCCER PLAYER
1939 - 2024
HPI: 56.77
Rank: 362
Others Deceased in 2018
Go to all RankingsAnne Treisman
PSYCHOLOGIST
1935 - 2018
HPI: 57.27
Rank: 285
Andrei Bitov
WRITER
1937 - 2018
HPI: 57.25
Rank: 286
Otis Rush
MUSICIAN
1934 - 2018
HPI: 57.23
Rank: 287
Tony Joe White
MUSICIAN
1943 - 2018
HPI: 57.21
Rank: 288
Piotr Szulkin
FILM DIRECTOR
1950 - 2018
HPI: 57.19
Rank: 289
Angelo Vanzin
ATHLETE
1932 - 2018
HPI: 57.13
Rank: 290
Hugh Masekela
MUSICIAN
1939 - 2018
HPI: 57.13
Rank: 291
George Maxwell Richards
POLITICIAN
1931 - 2018
HPI: 57.11
Rank: 292
Susan Anspach
ACTOR
1942 - 2018
HPI: 57.09
Rank: 293
Sergei Mavrodi
WRITER
1955 - 2018
HPI: 57.08
Rank: 294
Ion Ciubuc
POLITICIAN
1943 - 2018
HPI: 57.08
Rank: 295
Zvonko Bego
SOCCER PLAYER
1940 - 2018
HPI: 57.07
Rank: 296
María Dolores Pradera
SINGER
1924 - 2018
HPI: 57.07
Rank: 297
In South Africa
Among people born in South Africa, Hugh Masekela ranks 104 out of 454. Before him are Koos de la Rey (1847), Julius Malema (1981), Bruce Grobbelaar (1957), Renée Schuurman (1939), Jamie Uys (1921), and Claude Chevalley (1909). After him are Ernest Leonard Johnson (1891), Alfred Swift (1931), Oscar Pistorius (1986), Max Gluckman (1911), Alan Paton (1903), and John Kani (1943).
Others born in South Africa
Go to all RankingsKoos de la Rey
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1847 - 1914
HPI: 57.68
Rank: 98
Julius Malema
POLITICIAN
1981 - Present
HPI: 57.37
Rank: 99
Bruce Grobbelaar
SOCCER PLAYER
1957 - Present
HPI: 57.30
Rank: 100
Renée Schuurman
TENNIS PLAYER
1939 - 2001
HPI: 57.27
Rank: 101
Jamie Uys
FILM DIRECTOR
1921 - 1996
HPI: 57.22
Rank: 102
Claude Chevalley
MATHEMATICIAN
1909 - 1984
HPI: 57.14
Rank: 103
Hugh Masekela
MUSICIAN
1939 - 2018
HPI: 57.13
Rank: 104
Ernest Leonard Johnson
ASTRONOMER
1891 - 1977
HPI: 57.02
Rank: 105
Alfred Swift
CYCLIST
1931 - 2009
HPI: 56.98
Rank: 106
Oscar Pistorius
ATHLETE
1986 - Present
HPI: 56.96
Rank: 107
Max Gluckman
ANTHROPOLOGIST
1911 - 1975
HPI: 56.91
Rank: 108
Alan Paton
WRITER
1903 - 1988
HPI: 56.69
Rank: 109
John Kani
ACTOR
1943 - Present
HPI: 56.58
Rank: 110
Among MUSICIANS In South Africa
Among musicians born in South Africa, Hugh Masekela ranks 3. Before him are Manfred Mann (1940), and Abdullah Ibrahim (1934). After him are Trevor Rabin (1954), Lucky Dube (1910), Eddie Kramer (1942), J. R. Rotem (1975), and Kevin Shirley (1960).
Manfred Mann
1940 - Present
HPI: 60.86
Rank: 1
Abdullah Ibrahim
1934 - Present
HPI: 59.08
Rank: 2
Hugh Masekela
1939 - 2018
HPI: 57.13
Rank: 3
Trevor Rabin
1954 - Present
HPI: 54.94
Rank: 4
Lucky Dube
1910 - 1964
HPI: 53.67
Rank: 5
Eddie Kramer
1942 - Present
HPI: 52.26
Rank: 6
J. R. Rotem
1975 - Present
HPI: 45.74
Rank: 7
Kevin Shirley
1960 - Present
HPI: 43.36
Rank: 8