( CNN ) -- The music of Hugh Masekela is the sound of South Africa . In a career that has spanned more than 50 years his songs have expressed both joy and indignation , exploring themes of inequality and hardship , protest and hope . Hugh Masekela , still an inspiration . More than just an inspirational musician , Masekela was an inspirational campaigner against apartheid and is now helping to build a new South Africa . Masekela was born on 4 April 1939 , in Witbank , South Africa . He started playing the piano when he was six , but seeing Kirk Douglas play a jazz trumpeter in the movie `` Young Man with a Horn '' inspired him to switch instruments . When he was 14 , he was given his first trumpet by the chaplain at his school , renowned anti-apartheid campaigner Trevor Huddleston . Within six months Masekela got together with some school mates to form the Huddleston Jazz Band . He went on to join Alfred Herbert 's African Jazz Revue and the Jazz Epsitles , and played in the orchestra for the hugely successful South African musical `` King Kong , '' whose cast included his future wife , legendary singer Miriam Makeba . Watch Hugh Masekela take CNN on a tour of Johannesburg » . But South Africa 's apartheid laws were making life increasingly difficult . After recording their first record Masekela and The Jazz Epistles were primed for a national tour , but after the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960 the government banned gatherings of more than 10 people , so the tour had to be abandoned . Masekela was determined to further his musical education and moved to London in 1960 , studying at the Guildhall School of Music , before leaving for New York , enrolling in the Manhattan School of Music and immersing himself in the city 's buzzing jazz scene . After finishing his studies Masekela planned to return to South Africa to teach music , but he found himself cut off from his homeland . `` When I was ready to come back , I could n't . The place [ South Africa ] was impenetrable , '' he told CNN . `` By then Mandela had been sentenced to life imprisonment . So I stayed 26 years longer than I planned to . '' Resigned to living in the U.S. , Masekela began making a name for himself as a musician , fusing jazz , Latin , African and pop influences in a style all of his own . In 1968 he recorded the breezy instrumental pop tune `` Grazin ' in the Grass , '' which gave him a surprise number one hit and became the best-known song of his career . In the 70s he began to divide his time between the U.S. and Africa , living in Guinea , Liberia and Ghana . Incorporating more African influences in his music , he went on to record classics such as `` Home is Where the Music is , '' `` Stimela '' and `` Soweto Blues . '' See Hugh 's career in photos . » . In Botswana he started a music school and set up a mobile recording studio . Nelson Mandela heard about the projects and sent Masekela a birthday message telling him to `` keep up the good work . '' Masekela was so moved that he immediately wrote `` Bring back Nelson Mandela , '' which became an anthem for the anti-apartheid movement . But his vocal opposition to apartheid made him a potential target for South African security forces and he was forced to leave Botswana for London . It was there that he co-wrote the music for hit Broadway musical `` Sarafina ! '' Masekela went on to play with Paul Simon on his Graceland tour , along with other South African artists including Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Miriam Makeba . It was n't until 1990 , following the release of Nelson Mandela , that Masekela was finally able to move back to his beloved South Africa . `` It was great , but it was also a tense time coming back to South Africa , '' he told CNN . `` It was a time of real turmoil . There were no-go places in the townships , there was sniping , there were major clashes and it was a time when civil war was threatening . '' Since moving back to Johannesburg , Masekela has continued to record platinum-selling albums and has toured all over the world , but he is also heavily involved in helping his homeland fulfill its potential . Having himself struggled with alcohol and drug abuse in his younger years , Masekela now supports drug-rehabilitation project the Musicians and Artists Assistance Program of South Africa . Another of his projects is to help black Africans own a stake in the country 's media outlets . He recently told Al Jazeera , `` TV , broadcasting , manufacturing , management and publishing should be owned by Africans . Until that happens we wo n't be able to project ourselves , we 'll always project from the perspective of those who have exploited us . '' The struggle against apartheid may be over but Masekela is still fighting inequality and hardship , and at 70 , he is still a source of inspiration and hope .
Musician Hugh Masekela was an inspirational voice against apartheid . He left South Africa in 1960 to go to music school in London and New York . His hit songs ' ' ' in the sky '' and ` ` Bring back Nelson Mandela '' He returned to Jo'burg in 1994 and continues to perform and tour the country .