Over the past half-century, the land-locked West African nation Mali has produced some terrific singers and bands.
Dance bands like the Rail Band were trailblazers in the 60s and 70s, producing great singers like legend Salif Keita; but there were also amazing musicians like the late Ali Farka Toure, with his northern Malian repertoire, and kora (West African harp) masters like the world-renowned maestro Toumani Diabate.
In the early 80s, a new sound emerged from Mali’s southern region of Wassoulou. In contrast to the praise singing hereditary musicians found in central Mali, musicians in this region do not generally come from the jelis, or praise singers, and many singers are not male, they’re female. The most famous of the Wassoulou musicians is without a doubt Oumou Sangare who emerged with her Moussoulou (Women) cassette tape in the early 80s,…
