Let’s celebrate Ali Farka Toure’s Birthday
Ali Farka Toure was born, Ali Ibrahim Toure (Aka “Ali Farka”) (October 31, 1939), in the Timbuktu region of Mali, Africa. He was the 10th child born to his mother and the first one to live (giving him the nickname Farka (donkey) because he was stubborn enough to survive. The self-taught guitarist and vocalist, who blended traditional Malian music with American blues influenced by John Lee Hooker added another genre to the diaspora called “Desert Blues.” He felt a kinship to Hooker’s blues because the relationship between the blues and the traditional African roots were so connected.
Ali Farka’s unique sound catapulted him to 76 on Rolling Stone’s list “The Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” and number 37 on Spin Magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. It wasn’t just music to him it was the communication of the spirits that surrounded him. He leaves us his albums, each of them a must have, a treasure of pure blues proving that the spirit is still alive. Vieux Farka Touré – Full Show (WYCE Live @ Wealthy Theatre Concert Series)
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