Ali Farka Touré

The Niger River bluesman who revealed the African roots of the blues

Ali Ibrahim Touré was born in 1939 in the Timbuktu region of what was then French Sudan. He was the only one of his mother's ten sons to survive infancy, and the nickname Farka, meaning donkey, was given to him as a sign of stubborn toughness. Raised along the Niger River in a Songhai and Fula milieu, he first played traditional instruments such as the one-string fiddle and the single-string gurkel.

A performance by the guitarist of Fodéba Keïta's national ballet company in the mid-1950s turned him toward the guitar, which he taught himself by adapting the melodies and rhythms of northern Mali's music. He later worked for Radio Mali, including as a sound engineer, and recorded for the station. Hearing John Lee Hooker and other American blues players, he was struck by how familiar their music sounded to his ears.

Records released in Mali and France in the 1970s built his reputation, and a 1988 album on London's World Circuit label introduced him to wider international audiences. The River and The Source followed. In 1994 Talking Timbuktu, recorded with Ry Cooder, won a Grammy and made him a global name. Afterward he largely retreated to farming in Niafunké, recording the 1999 album Niafunké close to home. He had little interest in celebrity and valued his fields as much as his music.

In 2004 he became mayor of Niafunké, investing in roads, sanitation and irrigation for the town. He recorded In the Heart of the Moon with kora master Toumani Diabaté, which earned a Grammy, while already ill with bone cancer. He died in Bamako in March 2006. His final solo album, Savane, appeared later that year to acclaim, and his son Vieux Farka Touré carried the family sound forward. Critics widely regard him as one of Africa's greatest guitarists.

The 10 greatest Ali Farka Touré solos

1. 1
   Diaraby

   Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder · solo by Ali Farka Touré · 1994
2. 2
   Savane

   Ali Farka Touré · solo by Ali Farka Touré · 2006
3. 3
   Ai Du

   Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder · solo by Ali Farka Touré · 1994
4. 4
   Monsieur le Maire de Niafunké

   Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté · solo by Ali Farka Touré · 2005
5. 5
   Soukora

   Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder · solo by Ali Farka Touré · 1994
6. 6
   Amandrai

   Ali Farka Touré · solo by Ali Farka Touré · 1988
7. 7
   Bonde

   Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder · solo by Ali Farka Touré · 1994
8. 8
   Soya

   Ali Farka Touré · solo by Ali Farka Touré · 2006
9. 9
   Mamadou Boutiquier

   Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté · solo by Ali Farka Touré · 2005
10. 10
    Kala Djula

    Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté · solo by Ali Farka Touré · 2005

The sound

Touré's playing is spare, hypnotic and deeply rooted in the pentatonic modes and cyclic patterns of northern Mali. He picked with his thumb and fingers, setting a droning bass pulse against short, rippling melodic figures that repeat and vary like a river current, often translating lines from the one-string fiddle and ngoni to guitar. Rather than bending notes in the American manner, he used hammer-ons, pull-offs and subtle slides. On acoustic or lightly amplified electric guitar, his tone is warm and unhurried, and the groove never feels rushed.

• Acoustic guitar (guitar) His main voice on many recordings, played fingerstyle with a strong thumb pulse.
• Electric guitar (guitar) Used for a slightly sharper, amplified sound on several albums and on stage.
• Njarka (one-string fiddle) (guitar) A traditional instrument he played early and whose melodies shaped his guitar lines.
• Gurkel (one-string guitar) (guitar) One of the first instruments he played as a boy.
• Ngoni (guitar) The West African lute whose idiom he adapted to the guitar.

Timeline

• 1939 Born in the Timbuktu region of French Sudan
• 1956 Inspired to play guitar after seeing Fodéba Keïta's ballet guitarist
• 1976 Early albums released in Mali and France around this period
• 1988 World Circuit album introduces him to international audiences
• 1994 Releases Talking Timbuktu with Ry Cooder
• 1995 Talking Timbuktu wins a Grammy
• 1999 Releases Niafunké, recorded near his farm
• 2004 Becomes mayor of Niafunké
• 2005 Releases In the Heart of the Moon with Toumani Diabaté
• 2006 Dies in Bamako; Savane released posthumously

Facts

1. His nickname Farka means donkey, a nod to stubbornness and endurance.
2. He was the only one of his mother's ten sons to survive childhood.
3. He first played the one-string gurkel and the njarka fiddle before taking up guitar.
4. He worked for Radio Mali, including as a sound engineer.
5. He won two Grammys, for Talking Timbuktu and In the Heart of the Moon.
6. He served as mayor of Niafunké from 2004.
7. He spent his own money on roads and irrigation for his town.
8. He regarded farming as his real profession and often stepped back from music to work his land.
9. His son Vieux Farka Touré is also an internationally known guitarist.
10. Savane, his last album, was released months after his death.