Amadou & Mariam

Amadou & Mariamare a musical duo fromMali, composed of theBamako-born coupleAmadou Bagayoko(guitar and vocals) (born 24 October 1954) andMariam Doumbia(vocals) (born 15 April 1958).
Their albumWelcome To Mali(2008) was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Albumin 2010.
Amadou lost his vision at the age of 16, while Mariam became blind at age 5 as a consequence of untreated measles. Known as "the blind couple from Mali", they met at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, where they both performed at the institute's Eclipse Orchestra, directed by Idrissa Soumaouro, and found they shared an interest in music.
The duo's early recordings in the 1980s and 1990s featured sparse arrangements of guitar and voice. Since the late 1990s Amadou & Mariam have produced music that mixes traditional Mali sound withrock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptianney, IndiantablasandDogonpercussion. In combination these elements have been called "Afro-blues".
By 1985 the couple had made a name for themselves playing Malian blues. They embarked on a tour ofBurkina Faso. In 1986 the couple moved toCôte d'Ivoireand recorded several cassette albums. During this time they metStevie Wonder, and the duo started playing at festivals around the world.
By 1996 the duo moved to Paris where they were signed to Polygram's Emarcy label. In 1998 they released their first album recorded outside of Africa,Sou Ni Tile. The track "Je pense à toi" was a hit on French radio and the album went on to sell 100,000 copies. In 2003 they were approached byWorld–Latin musicstarManu Chao, who then produced their 2004 albumDimanche à Bamako("Sunday in Bamako"), which also features his distinctive vocals.
In 2005 The Côte d'Ivoire recordings were released for the first time on CD as a limited edition box set and "best of" collection,1990–1995: Le Meilleur Des Années Maliennes. Amadou & Mariam won the French Victoire de la Musique prize for best World Music album of the year withDimanche à Bamako. On 26 October (2005) after their show at the Olympia in Paris, they were awarded a platinum disc by the French Ministry of Culture for selling 300,000 units ofDimanche à Bamako. They also won two BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in the African and Best Album categories forDimanche à Bamako. In 2006, they recorded, together withHerbert Grönemeyer, the official anthem for the2006 FIFA World Cup"Celebrate the Day" (German: "Zeit, dass sich was dreht"). The song topped the German charts in June 2006. They went on to play major festivals in the US includingCoachellaandLollapalooza. On 26 June 2007 they took part in Damon Albarn's "Africa Express" project at Glastonbury with a line-up including Rachid Taha,K'Naan, Tony Allen, Fat Boy Slim and Tinariwen. This was also their first encounter withJake Shearsof theScissor Sisters. They then supported the Scissor Sisters on their UK tour, including three nights at London's O2 Arena . In summer of 2008, they played the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, Illinois and theLatitude FestivalinHenham Park, Suffolk.
In 2008 they released their 6th albumWelcome To Maliwith the participation of K'Naan,Keziah Jones,-M-andDamon Albarn. Their song "Sabali" was placed 15 onPitchfork Media'sTop 100 Best Tracks of 2008.It also became the most-played French single worldwide of 2009.In the same year they had played the main stage at Glastonbury Festival.
Amadou & Mariam won the Best Group category in the inaugural Songlines Music Awards (2009) – announced 1 May 2009 – the new world music awards organised by the UK-based magazine,Songlines. On 26 May, they played a gig to support the homeless charity Crisis at theUnion Chapel, in north London where they were joined on stage by their hero, Pink Floyd's guitarist,David Gilmour, who played second guitar supporting the whole 80-minute set and a 5-minute encore. On 8 June, they performed onLate Night with Jimmy Fallonon US TV Channel NBC. That same year, they supportedBlurduring their two reunion gigs in Hyde Park and also supported UK based bandColdplayon theirViva la Vida Touron 8 shows. They also performed their duo setL'Afrique C'est Chicat the Jazz Cafe in London where they were joined on-stage by special guests including Theophilus London, Beth Orton, Krystle Warren; and they performed a headline show at the Roundhouse, London as part of the iTunes Festival. Also in the 2009, they becameZeitz FoundationAmbassadors for Culture (Art); they help raise awareness and shape activities in their respective dimension. They performed live at the2009 Nobel Peace Prizeceremony.
In 2010, their joint autobiographyAway From the Light of Daywas published in the UK by Route Publishing.On 11 June, Amadou & Mariam appeared on FIFA's Kick-Off Celebration for 2010's World Cup, hosted in South Africa, alongside Alicia Keys, John Legend, Tinariwen and Shakira in front of 80,000 people and hundreds of millions of TV viewers.That same year, Amadou & Mariam contributed the song "Tambara" to theEnough ProjectandDowntown Records' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo's women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.Welcome To Maliwas nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Albumat the52nd Annual Grammy Awards. They were chosen byMatt Groeningto perform at the edition of theAll Tomorrow's Partiesfestival he curated in May 2010 inMinehead, England.
In February 2011, Amadou & Mariam performed as one of the support acts forU2during the Johannesburg and Cape Town legs of theirU2 360Tour. In July, they performed their first concerts in the dark,Eclipse, which were commissioned by the Manchester International Festival. They went on to stage these shows in London in November 2011, and in Paris in January 2012. In 2011, they also became ambassadors for theWorld Food Programme.They travelled to Haïti and offered a new song "Labendela" (Children are the future) as an anthem. Their early biographyAway From The Light of Daywas published in the US.
Their eighth albumFolilawas released on 2 April 2012.Folila, which means "music" in Bambara, was recorded in Bamako and New York with special guests includingSantigold,TV on the Radio, and Jake Shears. The first single of the album "Dougou Badia" was released on 20 January.  The track featuring guest appearance of Santigold, was hailed by theNMEas "a chuffing great masterstroke of genre-less genre mixing".In France, the track "Oh Amadou" which is a duet withBertrand Cantat, was chosen as a single.
On 22 September 2017 they released their albumLa Confusionto mixed reviews.
On 8 September 2024, they performed theSerge Gainsbourgsong,Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais, at theclosing ceremonyof the2024 Summer Paralympics.
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