Amadou Bagayoko, the legendary singer and guitarist of the acclaimed Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, has passed away at the age of 70. According to the Associated Press, Mali’s Minister of Culture, Mamou Daffé, confirmed the news during a local televised broadcast, revealing that Bagayoko died on Friday, April 4, in his hometown of Bamako.
Alongside his wife, Mariam Doumbia, Bagayoko achieved international fame with their music group, Amadou & Mariam. The duo blended traditional African instruments with Western rock, pop, and blues, striving to make Malian music accessible and universal. This fusion included innovative techniques such as playing electric guitar in the style of the ngoni, a traditional West African stringed instrument. Over their decades-long career, the couple successfully achieved their goal, performing around the globe with music legends like Stevie Wonder and U2, collaborating with Santigold and TV on the Radio, and receiving prestigious awards in the music industry.
Born in October 1954, Bagayoko lost his sight to a congenital cataract at the age of 15. He then studied at Mali’s Institute for the Young Blind, where he met Doumbia, who had also lost her sight at the age of five. The two quickly bonded over their shared passion for music and performed together in the institute’s Eclipse Orchestra. After marrying in 1980, they formed the band Mali’s Blind Couple and began recording blues songs in the regional Mali style. A few years later, they moved to Côte d’Ivoire and rebranded as Amadou & Mariam, adopting more stripped-back, lo-fi arrangements of guitar and vocals. They recorded cassette tapes in the ’80s and ’90s, during which time they crossed paths with Stevie Wonder, who invited them to perform at festivals outside of Africa.
In 1996, the duo relocated to Paris and signed with the Emarcy record label. Their debut album, Sou Ni Tile, recorded outside of Africa, was released in 1998 and gained success on Parisian radio, notably with the single “Je Pense à Toi.” They followed up with three more albums before attracting the attention of Latin star Manu Chao, who produced their breakthrough 2004 album Dimanche à Bamako. This album became their most commercially successful record, reaching high positions on international charts. Amadou & Mariam later released three additional albums: Welcome to Mali (2008), Folila (2012), and La Confusion (2017).
As their music gained global recognition, so did their performances. Amadou & Mariam performed at major U.S. festivals such as Coachella and Lollapalooza, opened for iconic gigs like Blur’s reunion shows in Hyde Park in 2009, and appeared on renowned TV programs like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Throughout their career, Amadou & Mariam received numerous accolades, including a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary World Music Album for Welcome to Mali at the 2010 awards. They also won several awards, including for Dimanche à Bamako and Folila, at France’s Victoire de la Musique. Additionally, their work earned them a BBC Radio World Music Award for Dimanche à Bamako. Bagayoko’s final performance, which took place at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, marked a fitting and symbolic conclusion to his illustrious career.
Through his music, Bagayoko played a pivotal role in bringing Malian music to the world stage, fulfilling one of his lifelong goals. In a 2006 interview with Pitchfork, he stated, “Part of what helped the growth of Mali’s music industry is that musicians participated in international festivals. Malian musicians like to listen to a lot of music and they’re interested in other music. They have a lot of courage. We and others were influenced and encouraged by other Malian musicians such as Ali Farka Toure and Oumou Sangare. We’re enjoying our success, but we’d like to make our music more well known, and we’re trying to spread it as much as we can.”
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