Mory Kanté Music

Origin: Kissidougou, Guinea

Decades: 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, and 2000's

Acclaimed for both his preservation and modernization of the musical traditions of West Africa's Mandinka culture, Mory Kante was born in Kissidougou, Guinea in 1951; the product of a family of griots (musicians who serve not merely as entertainers but also as tribal historians), at age seven he was sent to Mali to learn tribal lore as well as the kora, the West African harp. At 15, Kante relocated to Bamako and joined the Rail Band, then Mali's most popular group; he remained with the band for seven years,... Read More