Letta Mbulu (born 23 August 1942) is a South African jazz singer who has been active since the 1960s.

Biography

Born and raised in Soweto, South Africa, she has been active as a singer since the 1960s. While still a teenager she toured with the musical ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

''Douglas Payne
"Letta Mbulu"
Douglaspayne.com — but left for the United States in 1964 due to

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. In New York City, she connected with other South African exiles, including

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...

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 ...

and

Jonas Gwangwa Jonas Mosa Gwangwa (19 October 1937 – 23 January 2021) was a South African jazz musician, songwriter and producer. He was an important figure in South African jazz for over 40 years. Career Gwangwa was born in Orlando East, Soweto. He firs ...

, and went on to work with

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 soul jazz single "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", whi ...

, David Axelrod and

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

. On screen, her singing can also be heard in ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

'', ''

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

'' (1985), and the 1973 film '' A Warm December'',Craig Harris
Artist Biography

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

and she was a guest on a Season 6 episode of ''Soul Train''. Mbulu also provided the Swahili chant in

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's single, "

Liberian Girl "Liberian Girl" is the ninth single released from American singer Michael Jackson's 1987 album '' Bad''. The song was written as early as 1983 and was among those considered for the Jacksons' ''Victory'' album. It was reworked and rewritten for ' ...

". Producer

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

has said of her: "Mbulu is the roots lady, projecting a sophistication and warmth which stirs hope for attaining pure love, beauty, and unity in the world." She is the founding member of the South African Artists United (SAAU) an organisation that was established in 1986.

Personal life

Mbulu is married to musician

Caiphus Semenya Caiphus Semenya (born 19 August 1939) is a South African composer and musician. He was born in Alexandra, Gauteng, Johannesburg, South Africa. He left South Africa for Los Angeles, California, United States, in the 1960s, together with his wife ...

. As the apartheid regime loomed over people of colour in the 1970s, Mbulu went to the United States, where, in exile, she continued to pursue music. She toured with jazz alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, and also went on to join forces with American singer Harry Belafonte. Together they went on several world tours. Her main musical influences became folk, American Jazz and Brazilian music.

Awards

* 2001: ''

South African Music Award The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in N ...

'' or lifetime achievement. * 2009: ''

Order of Ikhamanga The Order of Ikhamanga is a South African honour. It was instituted on 30 November 2003 and is granted by the President of South Africa for achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports (which were initially recognised b ...

'' in Silver erhielt. * 2018: lifetime achievement award.

Discography

* ''Letta Mbulu Sings'' (Capitol, 1967) * ''Free Soul'' (Capitol, 1968) * ''Letta'' (Chisa, 1970) * ''Naturally'' (Fantasy, 1972) * ''There's Music in the Air'' (A&M, 1976) * ''Letta'' (A&M, 1977) * ''Letta Mbulu'' – Gold (A&M, 1978) * ''Letta Mbulu'' – Sweet juju (Morning, 1985) * ''The Best of Letta & Caiphus'' (Columbia, 1996) * ''Greatest Hits'' (Columbia, 1999) * ''Letta Mbulu Sings/Free Soul'' (Stateside, 2005) * ''Culani Nami'' (Sony, 2007) With

* ''

'' (A&M, 1977)

References

External links

Article discussing Mbulu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mbulu, Letta 1942 births Living people People from Soweto 20th-century South African women singers South African jazz singers 21st-century South African women singers