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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 of Acclaimed Malian Duo Amadou & Mariam Dead at 70
Amadou Bagayoko, singer and guitarist in the Grammy-nominated Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, has died at the age of 70. Mali's Minister of Culture Mamou Daffé said on state TV that Bagayoko died Friday in the city of Bamako, his birthplace. Bagayoko's family confirmed the death, adding that he 'had been ill for a while,' though no cause of death was provided. More from Rolling Stone Johnny Tillotson, 'Poetry in Motion' Singer, Dead at 86 Tim Mohr, Journalist and Author With Duff McKagan and Paul Stanley, Dead at 55 Val Kilmer, Actor Who Starred in 'Top Gun' and 'The Doors,' Dead at 65 Bagayoko, who became blind at the age of 15 due to a congenital cataract, studied music at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, where he met his future wife and band mate, Mariam Doumbia, who had been blind since the age of 5. The pair performed together in Mali throughout the Seventies and Eighties before breaking out in Europe in the mid-Nineties. As Amadou & Mariam, the duo brought Malian music to the world stage, attracting famous fans like Stevie Wonder, David Gilmour, and Damon Albarn; the latter enlisted the duo to take part in his Africa Express project, co-produced their Grammy-nominated 2009 album Welcome to Mali, and recruited Amadou & Mariam to open for Blur during that band's reunion shows in 2009. Bagayoko's jaunty style of playing — fusing Malian music with a Western rock sound — landed him on Rolling Stone's list of the 250 Best Guitarists. 'People are often surprised when we explain how much we were influenced by Western pop music,' Amadou Bagayoko once told an interviewer. 'I grew up listening to records by Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder … That's because they were the only records we had in Mali!' Over the past two decades, Amadou & Mariam were mainstays at music festivals around the world, including Glastonbury, Coachella, and Lollapalooza. The duo also served as opening act for stadium tours by the likes of Coldplay and U2. Amadou & Mariam's two most recent albums were 2012's Folila — which featured collaborations with TV on the Radio, Santigold, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner, and Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears — and 2017's La Confusion. In Sept. 2024, the duo took part in the closing ceremony at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, performing Serge Gainsbourg's 'Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
The Independent
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Malian singer Amadou Bagayoko dies at age 70
Renowned guitarist and singer Amadou Bagayoko of Mali's music duo Amadou & Mariam has died at the age of 70. Mali's Minister of Culture Mamou Daffé paid tribute to the blind musician in a televised broadcast on state TV and said that Bagayoko died Friday in the city of Bamako, his birthplace, but didn't give further details. Bagayoko, born in 1954, 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 wife Mariam Doumbia. The couple formed their band 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. Bagayogo'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 son, Sam, also a musician.
Associated Press
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
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 at the age of 70. Mali's Minister of Culture Mamou Daffé paid tribute to the blind musician in a televised broadcast on state TV and said that Bagayoko died Friday in the city of Bamako, his birthplace, but didn't give further details. Bagayoko, born in 1954, 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 wife Mariam Doumbia. The couple formed their band 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. Bagayogo'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 son, Sam, also a musician.
