Vieux Farka Toure

Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981 to Ali Farka Touré. Despite his father's discouragement and his family's lineage as a tribe of soldiers, Touré secretly took up the guitar and enrolled in the Institut National des Arts in Bamako, Mali. In 2005, Eric Herman of Modiba expressed interest in producing an album for Touré; to do so, he had to acquire permission from Ali Touré, Toumani Diabaté, and other community elders. This led to his self-titled debut album, produced by Modiba and released by World Village on 12 February 2007. The album featured Toumani Diabaté as well as his late father. Following the release of a remix album, UFOs Over Bamako in 2008, and multiple tours, Vieux released his second studio album in May 2009. Fondo peaked at #5 on Billboard's World Albums chart the week of 11 July 2009 and was included in the Village Voice's Top 100 list for 2009. In June 2010, Vieux was invited to perform at the Opening Celebration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup; other performers included Shakira, Alicia Keys and K’naan. That month, Vieux also released his first live album, LIVE. Vieux released his third studio album, The Secret, on May 24, 2011. The album was produced by Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno and features Dave Matthews, Derek Trucks, and John Scofield. It also features the last collaboration between Touré and his late father. The album reached the #1 spot on CMJ's New World chart on 10 June 2011. Vieux's fourth studio album, Mon Pays, was released by Six Degrees Records on May 28, 2013. The title, French for 'My Country,' refers to his native Mali, and serves as a reminder of its beauty and culture, even in the midst of the territorial conflict between Tuareg and Islamic populations that have threatened it since January 2012. His latest album Samba was released in Spring 2017. It was recorded in front of a live studio audience in Woodstock, NY. The title "Samba" has nothing to do with the Brazilian style of music. As the second boy in his family Vieux was always called "samba," meaning "second boy" in Songhai, and, additionally, the featured song “Samba Si Kairi" is named after a song his father and grandfather would sing while he played the calabash (percussion). Dominic Valvona of Monolith Cocktail praises the work, writing, "This is the devotional, earthy soul of Mali, channeled through a six-string electric guitar."