Caiphus SemenyaSouth Africa |1939| EnglishCaiphus Semenya is a South African musical director versatile composer and arranger who left his home country in the 1960s and settled in Los Angeles.
He collaborated with jazz and pop artists like Lou Rawls and Cannonball Adderley, in addition to working with other African artists such as Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba.
Semenya's collaboration with Quincy Jones was particularly noteworthy, as he contributed African compositions for the scores of Roots, The Color Purple, and The Lion King.
After returning to South Africa in 1990, Semenya composed scores for several television series, and he continues to work in music in a variety of capacities, including with his wife, vocalist Letta Mbulu, as "Caiphus & Letta".
He's an executive producer for Quincy Jones' Qradio website.