Caiphus Semenya

Updated on Oct 29, 2023

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Genres South African jazz Genre South African jazz		Years active 1950s–present

Born 19 August 1939 (age 77) Johannesburg, South Africa ( 1939-08-19 ) Occupation(s) Musician, composer, arranger Instruments Saxophone, percussion, synthesizer, vocals Associated acts Quincy Jones, Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, Miriam Makeba, and many others Albums Woman Got The Right To Be, Live at Carnival City Record labels Gallo Record Company, Heita, COLUMBIA, SONY BMG Special Products, Sony Music Special Projects Nominations Academy Award for Best Original Music Score Similar Letta Mbulu, Jonas Gwangwa, Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Thandiswa Mazwai

Caiphus Semenya (born 19 August 1939) is a South African composer and musician. He left South Africa for Los Angeles in the 1960s, together with his wife, singer Letta Mbulu. Among the artists with whom he worked are Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, Hotep Galeta, Miriam Makeba, Lou Rawls, Nina Simone and Cannonball Adderley. Semenya also arranged the Swahili chant in the intro to Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl" from the 1987 Bad album.