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Biography

Born on 15 June 1968, Samba grew up in Dabi, a small village in the Tombouctou region of Mali. Samba’s father passed away just before his birth, leaving his mother to raise him alone. Although they could not afford formal education, he was surrounded by music from an early age and his mother was one of the first women to sing with the young Ali Farka Touré at the Biennale Festival in Mali.

When he was old enough, Samba left for the Malian capital, Bamako, in the hopes of finding a job. There, he heard the popular guitar-driven dance music of Zaire for the first time and, inspired, began singing and playing guitar in a band called Farafina Lolo (Africa Star).

During that time, he fell in love with the music of Ali Farka Touré, a true original who was transposing the traditional music of his native north Mali and single-handedly bringing the style known as desert blues to an international audience. Samba was entranced by this master from Niafunké and began to play the guitar in the same style, adapting his playing from traditional string instruments on to an electric guitar.

When Farafina Lolo split up in the mid-1990s, Samba concentrated on composing on his own. In 1997, Farka Touré offered him the unique opportunity to tour with him as part of his band. Delighted, Samba accepted and, while touring across Europe and the USA, his mentor opened his eyes to a variety of new influences. Farka Touré inspired him to create his own blues style and, on his return to Mali, formed Fondo. He recorded then his first solo effort “Fondo” which was a huge success in Mali.

With Ali Farka Touré on the river Niger

In 2007, he released his second album « Aïto » in Mali, and toured intensively in west-african festivals. In 2008 Samba Touré is signed by World Music Network, for « Songhaï blues, Homage to Ali Farka Touré », his first international production.

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Samba Touré creates a harmonious blend of River Niger blues, traditional Songhai themes and Western influences. Like most Malian songs, Samba’s lyrics convey moral messages as well as introducing us to different elements of Malian culture, such as the importance of family. Bursting with energy, Samba Touré’s music continues the blues legacy of the late, great Ali Farka Touré. Samba Touré is the Malian guitarist, vocalist and composer whose distinctive style is widely regarded both at home and abroad as both reflecting and enhancing the enduring legacy of the legendary Ali Farka Touré. So it was that, in 2010, Toumani Diabaté turned to Samba to play alongside him on his ‘Ali Farka Touré Variations Tour’. It seemed a natural choice to pass the baton to Samba and have him representing Ali Farka Touré’s guitar style on the tour.

Recorded on visits back to Mali, Crocodile Blues is Samba Touré’s second international release and a giant leap forward for the Malian bluesman with Oumou Sangaré as a special guest vocalist for one song. His carefully crafted compositions demonstrate his own style, through his use of a variety of languages, rhythms and feelings. Many of the songs represent different ethnicities and regions, as Samba sings for peace and unity in Mali, one year before Mali’s crisis started. In December 2011, Samba received a Tamani d’Or, Malian Award for “Crocodile Blues” the best international CD of the year and toured summer 2012 through Europe with memorable shows in Amsterdam Paradiso + North Sea Jazz Club, and Budapest’s Sziget Festival.

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Then he recorded a new album “ALBALA” 2013 for new label Glitterbeat Records, featuring guest Hugo Race and co-produced by Philippe Sanmiguel and Chris Eckman. The album was acclaimed worldwide as one of the best African release of the year. The band toured in Europe in 2013 and 2014. Two years after, Samba recorded a new album: Gandadiko, released in 2015 on Glitterbeat Records. Gandadiko immediately reached the top of international world music charts and the band toured in Europe in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Albala. 2013 Gandadiko. 2015

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Then, in the autumn of 2017, Samba recorded his new album ‘Wande’ released on Glitterbeat Records on may 25th 2018. It immediately received a lot of acclaiming reviews and reached second place of World Music Charts Europe’s july’s ranking. Samba Touré and his band will be touring Europe in spring and summer 2019.

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Discography

2003 - Fondo - Seydoni Mali 2007 - Aïto - Seydoni Mali

2009 - Songhaï Blues - Homage to Ali Farka Touré - Riverboat Records - World Music Network

2011 - Yermakoye - Fondo Prod (malian release of Crocodile Blues, different tracklisting ) 2011 - Crocodile Blues - Riverboat Records - World Music Network 2013 - Albala - Glitterbeat Records 2015 - Gandadiko - Glitterbeat Records 2018 - Wande - Glitterbeat Records

Collaborations

2005 –Amadou Guitteye Album “Taama” - Melodie Distribution 2009 – Les Sept Etoiles de Diré (various artists) - Fondo Productions 2013 – Dirtmusic. Album “Troubles” – Glitterbeat Records 2014 – Dirtmusic. Album ‘’Lion City” – Glitterbeat Records 2015 – Bassekou Kouyaté. Album “Ba Power” – Glitterbeat Records 2016 – Aziza Brahim. Album “Abbar el Hamada” – Glitterbeat Records

Compilations

2009 - The Rough Guide to Blues Revival - Rough Guides - World Music Network (Various artists. 2 cds , one featuring 9 unreleased tracks of Samba Touré, live and instrumentals)

2009 - Think Global Celebrate Africa - Think Global - World Music Network

(Various artists)

2010 - The Rough Guide to Desert Blues - Rough Guides - World Music Network (Various artists)

2013 – The Rough Guide to Acoustic Africa – Rough Guides – World Music

Network (Various artists) 2013 – Made In Bamako – Vivendi – (Various artists) 2014 – Glitterbeat Dubs & Versions – (Various artists remixed)

Filmography

Samba Touré appears in two documentary movies :

-2002 : Le miel n’est jamais bon dans une seule bouche de Marc Huraux. -2006 : A Visit to Ali Farka Touré de Marc Huraux. -2015 : "Samba Touré à Banlieues Bleues". Concert filmé, réalisation Stéphane Jourdain (2015) 54 min. Production La Huit

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_au_cin%C3%A9mahttp://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Le_miel_n%E2%80%99est_jamais_bon_dans_une_seule_bouche&action=edit&redlink=1http://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marc_Huraux&action=edit&redlink=1http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_au_cin%C3%A9mahttp://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Visit_to_Ali_Farka_Tour%C3%A9&action=edit&redlink=1

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Samba Touré’s band

Samba Touré : guitar, vocals.

Djimé Sissoko : ngoni, tamani.

Souleymane Kane : calabash

Mamadou Sidibé : bass guitar

www.samba-toure.com

www.facebook.com/samba.toure.official

www.twitter.com/SambaToureMusic

Samba Touré Management : Philippe Sanmiguel, Torokorobougou 432, porte 266, Bamako, Mali email : samba-management@hotmail.fr tél : (00 223) 75 08 61 90

Booking Europe : http://thijsvandewalle.be info@thijsvandewalle.be Booking Scandinavia : http://www.secondtotheleft.com/samba-toure.html Booking Austria: http://www.weltenklang.at/artists/detail/artikel/SAMBA_TOURE.html:

http://www.samba-toure.com/http://www.facebook.com/samba.toure.officialhttp://www.twitter.com/SambaToureMusichttp://www.samba-toure.com/mailto:samba-management@hotmail.frhttp://thijsvandewalle.be/http://www.secondtotheleft.com/samba-toure.htmlhttp://www.weltenklang.at/artists/detail/artikel/SAMBA_TOURE.html