Letta Mbulu

Letta Mbulu marked her return to South Africa with a commanding appearance at the 1991 Unity Festival Apartheid. Forced into exile by Apartheid for more than twenty-five years, she had progressed from a teenage performer in the pioneering 1960 production King Kong to one of the nation’s most significant vocal artists. Her catalog of local successes encompassed “I Need Your Love,” “Buza,” and “Everybody Sing Along,” while her distinctive delivery graced both studio sessions and live appearances alongside Cannonball Adderly, Michael Jackson, and Harry Belafonte. Film work included A Warm December and The Color Purple; she also supplied the opening title song and the majority of the African passages for the 1970s miniseries Roots, part one and part two. Quincy Jones, producer of her duet with Michael Jackson on “Liberian Girl” and co-producer of The Colour Purple, stated, “Mbulu is the roots lady, projecting a sophistication and warmth which stirs hope for attaining pure love, beauty, and unity in the world.”

Throughout her extended absence, Mbulu kept faith with the musical traditions of her homeland. In 1986 she helped establish South African Artists United (SAAU), an organization patterned after the Union of South African Artists that had arisen from the African Jazz and Variety concerts where she made her first appearances. Her husband, Caiphus Semenya—whom she met during the King Kong tour—continues to shape her creative output.