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BBC News
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Amadou Bagayoko - thousands attend funeral of Malian musician
Thousands of people gathered in Mali on Sunday for the funeral of musician Amadou Bagayoko, of the world-renowned duo Amadou & relatives, fans and fellow artists flocked to the ceremony in the capital city of Bamako - including the musician Salif Keita and former prime minister Moussa of the most successful African musical act of the 2000s, husband and wife duo Amadou & Mariam achieved global fame by combining West African influences with rhythm and breakthrough album, 2004's Dimanche à Bamako, sold half a million copies worldwide and led to collaborations with Blur's Damon Albarn, as well as appearances at the Glastonbury and Coachella festivals. Mali's culture minister, Mamou Daffé, said on state TV that Bagayoko had died on Friday in the city of Bamako, aged 70. The musician's family confirmed the news, adding that he "had been ill for a while".No further information was given on the cause of death, but his widow, Mariam Doumbia, described her husband's last moments."I took his hand and tried to make some movements with it, but it didn't move," she said."I said: 'Amadou, don't do this, speak to Mariam... but he didn't speak any more."The musician was taken to hospital, where he subsequently died."I thought that, if Amadou went just like that, then me, I'm alone," Doumbia added. "I was alone and I will remain alone in life." Franco-Spanish star Manu Chao, who produced Dimanche à Bamako, led tributes to Bagayoko in a post on Instagram, saying: "We will always be together... Wherever you go."Mariam, Sam, the whole family, your pain is my pain. I love you," he Malian singer Sidiki Diabate lamented "another immense loss for Malian music".Youssou N'Dour said he considered Amadou & Mariam to be "the ambassadors of African music almost everywhere in the world".Speaking to France's TV5 Monde, he said Bagayoko had pursued his career with "a dignity and a way of life that inspired us all... and encouraged us in what we were doing". Inventor of 'Afro-rock' Born in Bamako in 1954, Bagayoko went blind when he was 15 because of a congenital cataract. He subsequently enrolled at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, where he met his future wife, Mariam, who had lost her vision at the age of five after contracting measles. They formed a band called Mali's Blind Couple in 1980, and moved to the neighbouring Ivory Coast in 1986, having realised that Mali's under-developed music industry would be a hindrance to their they recorded a series of cassettes, pairing Doumbia's soulful voice with Bagayoko's powerful guitar style, inspired by British acts like Led Zeppelin and Pink aim, Bagayoko said, was to "find a link between them and our Bambara culture". He christened the sound "Afro-rock". Their lives were changed when Manu Chao heard one of their songs on the radio and offered to produce their next ended up co-writing and singing on the record, adding eccentric rhythmical touches to their brand of desert result was Dimanche à Bamako, which won both the Victoire de la Musique - France's equivalent to a Grammy Award - and the BBC Radio World Music Award in follow-up, 2008's Welcome to Mali, was nominated for best contemporary world music album at the record was produced by Damon Albarn, who had invited the duo to take part in his Africa Express project in 2007, and invited them to tour with Blur during their 2009 reunion Shears of Scissor Sisters was also a fan, and took Amadou & Mariam on the road with his band in 2012. "What they do hearkens back to classic rock and real musicianship," he told The Times as the tour kicked off. "Now with all bands, when you're playing live, everybody's got backing tracks going on. Everyone's working with a net. They are a proper old-school rock band." In 2009, they played in Oslo as Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize; and in 2011 staged a series of concerts in the dark, to show audiences how they experienced music. A year later, they decided to record two versions of their sixth album Folila - one in New York and one with traditional musicians in Bamako. The idea was to release each separately but, in the end, the duo decided to combine the recordings, mixing different takes of the same song together in a third studio in contributions from Santigold, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV On The Radio, it earned the group a second Grammy nomination in 2012.2017's La Confusion, addressed the political turmoil in their homeland, where Islamic extremists had imposed Shariah law and banished like Bofou Safou offered messages of strength, resistance and optimism amidst the turmoil. Bagayoko said he hoped the music was universal"We started to work on the things that were happening in our homeland, but then realised that they could be applied to a lot of other countries in the world," he told OkayAfrica. "There is a confusion all over the world, and it's time to communicate, to talk and share ideas for a better future and understanding."The duo continued to record and tour until last year. Bagayoko's final performance came at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic of Sunday, the duo's website still listed dates for a European tour in May and is survived by his wife and a son, Sam, also a "will be buried in family intimacy in the courtyard of his home", his spokesman Djiby Sacko told the AFP news agency.
New York Times
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Amadou Bagayoko, Half of Malian Duo Who Went Global, Dies at 70
Amadou Bagayoko, a Malian guitarist and composer who with his wife, the singer Mariam Doumbia, formed Amadou & Mariam, inventing a broadly accessible sound that made fans of people worldwide who otherwise knew little about music from Africa, died on Friday in Bamako, Mali's capital. He was 70. His death was announced by the Malian government, which did not provide a cause. He and Ms. Doumbia lived in Bamako. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Amadou & Mariam was regularly described as the new century's most successful African musical act. Mr. Bagayoko, who grew up listening to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, called their sound 'Afro-rock,' and the group regularly combined his winding guitar solos with, for example, the pounding of a West African djembe drum. Yet the group's music also consistently evolved. Their breakout hit, the 2005 album 'Dimanche à Bamako,' had chatty spoken asides, sirens, the hubbub of crowds — city sounds turned into melodies. Their 2008 album 'Welcome to Mali,' conversely, embraced an electronic style of funk, opening with a song, 'Sabali,' featuring Damon Albarn of the arty hip-hop group Gorillaz. What was consistent was a sweet, graceful sound that still had the power to build to crescendos, with Ms. Doumbia's alto achieving clear, pleasant resonance over a rich orchestration. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Guardian
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Amadou Bagayoko obituary
One of the most extraordinary success stories in the history of African music began in 1978 in the south of the Malian capital, Bamako, in the Institut des Jeunes Aveugles, a school for young blind people. It was there that Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia began to make music together. Over two decades later, by now married and known as Amadou & Mariam, 'the blind duo of Mali' (as they were once billed) became an award-winning commercial triumph, headlining at festivals and concerts around the world. Amadou, who has died aged 70, played the electric guitar, sang with Mariam, and wrote or co-wrote many of their songs. They had enjoyed a lengthy, sometimes difficult career together when their lives were transformed by a collaboration with the French-Spanish globally-influenced pop star Manu Chao. He heard one of their songs on the car radio while driving through Paris, and offered not just to produce their next album but to co-write and sing on some of the tracks, adding his slinky, rhythmic style to the duo's rousing blend of African R&B. The result, Dimanche à Bamako (2004) introduced the duo to a new global audience, selling half a million copies worldwide and reaching No 2 in France. Blending gutsy blues-rock and impressive guitar work from Amadou on the song Coulibaly with a stomping dance piece, La Réalité, or the cheerfully rousing Beaux Dimanches, this was crossover music that appealed to rock and pop fans as well as enthusiasts for African music. When I asked Amadou about his guitar style, he told me: 'I love English music and started out listening to Alvin Lee, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour and Bad Company – and trying to find a link between them and our Bambara culture.' Amadou & Mariam now had a chance to show a wider audience that they were great live performers, with years of experience behind them. Their live shows in the UK after the album's success included the 2006 African Soul Rebels package tour, and an appearance at Glastonbury in 2007 as part of Damon Albarn's Africa Express. Here, backed by the Kick Horns, they provided a rousing opening to an extraordinary show that included Baaba Maal, Toumani Diabaté and the desert blues exponents Tinariwen, who were joined by Amadou on guitar. Albarn co-produced their follow-up album, Welcome to Mali, in 2008, which continued their Africa-pop crossover success. It included Sabali, a swirling electro-pop ballad co-written by Albarn, and guest appearances from the Somali hip hop star K'Naan and others, but was dominated by Amadou's guitar work, as on his collaboration with the kora virtuoso Diabaté. It was nominated for the Grammy award for best contemporary world music album. In 2012, the duo's album Folila included yet more 'special guests', including Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters, and a rousing guitar-rock song, Dougou Badia, featuring Santigold. By now their live appearances were becoming equally adventurous. In 2009 they played in Oslo when Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize, and in the same year gave a charity show for the homeless in London, at which they were joined by Gilmour. In 2011 they staged a series of Eclipse concerts in the dark, to remind their audiences of what it was like to experience music when blind. They supported rock bands including Blur, Coldplay and U2, and in 2019 toured the UK with the American gospel group the Blind Boys of Alabama, with whom they collaborated on several songs, with Amadou showing off his guitar skills on a thoughtful treatment of the Tom Waits song Down in the Hole. In 2017 they released La Confusion, now joined by Malian ngoni and kora players rather than international guests. This was followed in 2024 by the compilation set La Vie Est Belle, which included a slinky and charming new song, Mogolu. Last year they also played at the UK Womad festival and at Somerset House in London – with Amadou still on rousing form, especially on the old favourites from Dimanche à Bamako. The son of a bricklaying instructor and a civil servant, Amadou was born in Bamako. He suffered from congenital cataracts, with his sight deteriorating throughout his childhood, and compensated by developing an acute sense of hearing. He learned to identify the sound of different types of guitar, and as a young guitar prodigy himself, he joined one of Mali's greatest bands, Les Ambassadeurs du Motel, then including the singer Salif Keita. He quit in 1978, when the band moved to Abidjan in the (then) Ivory Coast to record, and with another former band member, Idrissa Soumaoro (who is not blind), moved to the blind school as teachers, and for Amadou to learn braille. There they set up a band, L'Eclipse, in which they were joined by the school's finest singer, Mariam, who was then 20. She had lost her sight through measles at the age of six. In 1981 she and Amadou were married. They started another band, Mirya, consisting only of blind musicians, then began performing as a duo, becoming so successful that Amadou found it hard to continue teaching. In 1986 he and Mariam set off for Abidjan, then the musical mecca of West Africa, where they stayed for six years, recording cassettes that became successful across West Africa – and among Africans living in France. In 1998 they released their first of three albums recorded in France, and Amadou's love song to his wife, Je Pense à Toi, became a hit on French radio. But it would be the collaboration with Manu Chao that finally brought Amadou and Mariam international success. With Mariam, Amadou won several awards, including France's Victoire de la Musique twice and the BBC World Music award in 2006. He is survived by Mariam and their three children. Amadou Bagayoko, singer-songwriter and guitarist, born 24 October 1954; died 4 April 2025
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Malian singer Amadou Bagayoko dies at age 70
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Renowned guitarist and singer Amadou Bagayoko of Mali's music duo Amadou & Mariam has died. He was 70. Mali's Minister of Culture Mamou Daffé paid tribute to the blind musician in a televised broadcast on state TV. He said that Bagayoko died Friday in the city of Bamako, his birthplace, but didn't give further details. Bagayoko went blind when he was 15 because of a congenital cataract. He studied music at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, where he met his future wife, Mariam Doumbia. They formed a band called Mali's Blind Couple in 1980, making their mark locally and internationally. Their music, which blends traditional African influences with elements of rock, blues and pop, has won them a global following. They produced over 10 award-winning albums, including France's Grammy Awards equivalent, Victoire de la Musique, in 2005, for 'Dimanche à Bamako' and again in 2013 for 'Folila.' 'Dimanche à Bamako' also won them one of the BBC Radio Awards for World Music in 2006. Their 2008 album 'Welcome to Mali' was nominated for Best Contemporary World Music Album at the Grammys. Bagayoko's last world-class performance with Doumbia was at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He is survived by his wife and a son, Sam, also a musician.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Amadou Bagayoko, Member of Malian Duo Amadou & Mariam, Dies at 70
Renowned guitarist and singer Amadou Bagayoko of Mali's music duo Amadou & Mariam has died. He was 70. Mali's Minister of Culture Mamou Daffé paid tribute to the blind musician in a televised broadcast on state TV. He said that Bagayoko died Friday (March 4) in the city of Bamako, his birthplace, but didn't give further details. The musician's family confirmed his passing, noting that he had been ill for some time, Rolling Stone reports. A cause of death was not provided. More from Billboard Gone But Not Forgotten: Musicians We Lost in 2025 Tracy Chapman on Revisiting Her Self-Titled Debut Album, 37 Years Later: 'I'm Just So Proud of It' FKA Twigs Has to Drop Out of Coachella, Cancel North American Tour Dates Due to Visa Issues: 'I'm Devastated' Bagayoko went blind when he was 15 because of a congenital cataract. He studied music at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, where he met his future wife, Mariam Doumbia. They formed a band called Mali's Blind Couple in 1980, making their mark locally and internationally. The pair performed together in Mali during the '70s and '80s before making a breakthrough in Europe in the mid-'90s. Their music, which blends traditional African influences with elements of rock, blues and pop, has won them a global following. They produced over 10 award-winning albums, including France's Grammy Awards equivalent, Victoire de la Musique, in 2005, for Dimanche à Bamako and again in 2013 for Folila. Dimanche à Bamako also won them one of the BBC Radio Awards for World Music in 2006. Their 2008 album Welcome to Mali was nominated for best contemporary world music album at the Grammys. Bagayoko's last world-class performance with Doumbia was at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He is survived by his wife and a son, Sam, also a musician. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
