CAIPHUS SEMENYA - QUOTATION

Though they make their living performing in and out of the country, entertainers Caiphus Semenya and Letta Mbulu are happier at home in Morningside Manor . . . On this warm and sunny morning, which is unusual for mid-winter, the couple's faces say they truly glad to be permanently back home. In 1964, the Semenyanas, like many Black artists, left South Africa because of the political oppression. While in exile for some 27 years, they worked with American artists Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte and Herp Alpert, and with South African exiles Hugh Masekela, Jonas Ngwangwa, and Miriam Makeba. For nearly three decades, Caiphus and Letta, who were described as one one the hottest and hardest-working couples in the entertainment industry, performed from New York to Los Angeles. Caiphus' music has been performed by such noted singers as Nina Simone, Lou Rawls, The Crusaders and legendary saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. He cemposed the African music for the popular television series Roots I and II and for the movie, The Color Purple. He won an Emmy Award for Roots and an Oscar nomination for The Color Purple. Caiphus also composed and arranged some of the songs on Jones' album Back On The Block, which won a Grammy Award. Letta's big break came in 1964 when she performed at the Village Gate in New York. She was later invited to tour with Cannonball Adderley. Her acting credits include appearing in A Warm December with Sidney Poitier, and the Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones production, The Color Purple. Working as close as Caiphus and Letta have throughout their careers, one wonders what's their formula for such a successful relationship.

-Nomvula Khalo, "At Home With Caiphus Semenya And Letta Mbulu", Ebony South Africa, August 1998.