Salif Keïta () (born 25 August 1949) is a Malian singer-songwriter, referred to as the "Golden Voice of Africa". He is a member of the Keita royal family of Mali.

Biography

Early life

Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village of Djoliba. He was born to the Keita royal family, who trace their lineage to Sundiata Keita, founder of the

Mali Empire The Mali Empire (Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or Manden; ar, مالي, Māl� ...

. He was cast out by his family and ostracized by the community because of his

albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

, a sign of bad luck in Mandinka culture. He decided to pursue music in his teenage years, further distancing him from his family as that was against occupational prohibitions of his noble status. In 1967, he left Djoliba for

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...

, where he joined the government-sponsored Super Rail Band de Bamako. In 1973, Keita joined the group ''Les Ambassadeurs (du Motel de Bamako)''. Keita and Les Ambassadeurs fled political unrest in Mali during the mid-1970s and subsequently changed the group's name to ''Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux''. The reputation of this band grew internationally in the late-1970s, leading to Keita pursuing a solo career in the following years. He is the father of

Paralympian The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-de ...

Nantenin Keita.

Career

Due to political unrest, Keita and his band-mates fled Mali in the mid-1970s. They settled in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where they struggled financially and often had to rent equipment to perform shows. The band (now named Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux) steadily grew in popularity in the ensuing years. Their 1978 album, ''Mandjou'', became an overnight success in West Africa. In 1976, Sékou Touré, the President of

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

, made Keita an Officer of Guinea's

National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC ...

. The President had been a fan of Keita and the band's since they met at an official visit in 1974. Touré had remained a fan and supporter even after they fled Mali. Wanting to reciprocate the honour, Keita composed the track "Mandjou" (featured on the eponymous 1978 album) as a praise song for Touré. However by the time the song was released, Touré had completely resorted to authoritarian rule and plunged his country into bloodshed and chaos. Keita still performs rearranged versions of "Mandjou". Keita moved to Paris in 1984 to reach a larger audience and to pursue a solo career. His music combined traditional West African music styles with influences from both Europe and the Americas. At that time, Keita was famous in Africa and had a strong fan base among connoisseurs around the world. '' Soro'' became his international-breakthrough album in 1987. The project was produced by Ibrahima Sylla, a visionary who had already discovered dozens of African stars (and would later become the driving force behind Africando). The arrangements featured roiling rhythms, slightly nasal female backup choirs, and traditional percussion typical of Malian music. Musical instruments that are commonly featured in Keita's work include

balafon The balafon is a gourd-resonated xylophone, a type of struck idiophone. It is closely associated with the neighbouring Mandé, Senoufo and Gur peoples of West Africa, particularly the Guinean branch of the Mandinka ethnic group, but is now f ...

djembe A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...

s, guitars, koras, organs, saxophones, and

synthesizers A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

. He performed at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert in 1988 to call for

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

's release from prison. In 1990, Keita contributed " Begin the Beguine" to the

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

tribute/AIDS benefit album '' Red Hot + Blue'', produced by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

. Keita found success in Europe as one of the African stars of world music, but his work was sometimes criticised for the gloss of its production and for the occasional haphazard quality. However, shortly after the turn of the millennium he returned to

in Mali to live and record. His first work after going home, 2002's ''Moffou'', was hailed as his best album in many years, and Keita was inspired to build a recording studio in Bamako, which he used for his album ''M'Bemba'', released in October 2005. Guest artists on his albums have included

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and vocalis ...

founders

Joe Zawinul Josef Erich Zawinul ( '; 7 July 1932 – 11 September 2007) was an Austrian jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist and composer. First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with Miles Davis and to bec ...

and

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles D ...

, drummer Paco Sery, guitarist

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound feature ...

, and percussionist Bill Summers. Keita's album ''La Différence'' was produced around the end of 2009. The work is dedicated to the struggle of the world albino community (victims of

human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of dead ancestors or as a retainer sacrifice, wherei ...

), for which Keita has been crusading all his life. In one of the album's tracks, the singer calls others to understand that "difference" does not mean "bad" and to show love and compassion towards albinos like everyone else: "I am black/ my skin is white/ so I am white and my blood is black lbino...I love that because it is a difference that's beautiful", "some of us are beautiful some are not/some are black some are white/all that difference was on purpose...for us to complete each other/let everyone get his love and dignity/the world will be beautiful." ''La Différence'' was recorded between

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, Paris, and Los Angeles. This unique musical feel is reinforced by soulful pitches in the track "Samigna" emanating from the trumpet of the great Lebanese jazzman Ibrahim Maalouf. In 2001, Keita's song "Tomorrow" was featured in the

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

film, '' Ali''. ''La Différence'' won Keita one of the biggest musical awards of his career: the Best World Music 2010 at the

Victoires de la musique Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The classical and jazz ...

. In 2013, after what he described as "threats" from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign, he cancelled a performance in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. He later published a letter on his Facebook page, stating that he decided to cancel the event because he was scared of "being harmed personally or professionally", but clarified that he still "love Israel", slamming BDS as an "extremist group" who used "scare tactics and bullying". In November 2018 he announced his retirement from recording at a concert in Fana, Mali. The album '' Un Autre Blanc'', which was released at the concert, would be his last.

Selected discography

* ''Mandjou - 1978'' *''Seydou Bathili'' – 1982 Salif Keita at Womad 2010 - Charton Park

* '' Soro'' – 1987 – Mango * ''

Ko-Yan ''Ko-Yan'' is an album by the Malian musician Salif Keita. It was released in 1989 by Mango Records. It was recorded in Paris. The album contains more influence from Western music, while still maintaining a traditional style. All the songs were wr ...

'' – 1989 – Mango * ''

Amen Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and ...

'' – 1991 – Mango * '' Destiny of a Noble Outcast '' – 1991 – PolyGram * '' 69–80 '' – 1994 – Sonodisc * '' Folon'' – 1995 – Mango * '' Rail Band '' – 1996 – Melodie * '' Seydou Bathili '' – 1997 – Sonodisc * '' Papa '' – 1999 – Metro Blue * '' Mama '' – 2000 – Capitol * '' The Best of Salif Keita '' – 2001 – Wrasse Records * '' Sosie '' – 2001 – Mellemfolkeligt * '' Moffou'' – 2002 – Universal Jazz France * '' Salif Keita The Best of the Early Years '' – 2002 – Wrasse Records * '' Remixes from Moffou '' – 2004 – Universal Jazz France * '' M'Bemba '' – 2005 – Universal Jazz France * '' The Lost Album '' – 1980 (reissued 2005) – Cantos * '' La Différence '' – 2009 – Emarcy * '' Talé '' – 2012 – with Philippe Cohen-Solal * '' Un Autre Blanc'' – 2018 Naïve Records Many compilations are available as wellSalif Keita Discography
Compiled by Graeme Counsel, Radio Africa. Retrieved 20 April 2009

Singles

*"Yamore" (2002) (with Cesaria Evora)

Music videos

References

External links

* * allmusic – Salif Keita
Wrasse Records/Biography of Salif

Banning Eyre interview with Salif Keita

Salif Keita Concert Pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keita, Salif 1949 births Living people People with albinism 21st-century Malian male singers Malian songwriters Wrasse Records artists World music musicians Bambara-language singers Salif People from Koulikoro Region 20th-century Malian male singers