Salif Keita , known as The Golden Voice of Africa was born in 1949 in Djoliba and began playing in nightclubs in 1967 with one of his brothers. By 1977 the reputation of Keita and his band, Les Ambassadeurs Internationales, was extending beyond the boundaries of Mali.
In return, Keita composed "Mandjou", telling the history of the Mali people and praising Sekou Toure. This hauntingly beautiful song features Keita's typical sound of guitar, organ, and sax.
Keita's music blends together the traditional griot music of his Malian childhood with other West African influences from Guinea, the Ivory Coast, and Senegal, along with influences from Cuba, Spain, and Portugal, and an unmistakably overall Islamic sound. Keita's sound also includes traditional African instruments such as the kora, balafon, and djembe, often synthesized and sampled.
This program takes Salif back to Mali, and takes his audience to new heights by giving you a rare in-sight into the life and music of this remarkable artist.