Amadou Bagayoko, one half of Amadou and Mariam, dies at 70
Amadou Bagayoko, the Malian vocalist and guitarist who was one-half of the husband-and-wife duo Amadou and Mariam, has died aged 70.
The Malian minister of culture, Mamou Daffé, announced the news in a televised statement revealing that the musician had passed away on April 4th in his hometown of Bamako.
With his wife, Mariam Doumbia, the duo was one of Mali’s most acclaimed musical exports. They achieved international success with a mixture of traditional Malian music and Western rock and blues music, which gave their sound widespread appeal beyond their native country.
The duo were celebrated by several notable stars of Western music, having performed live alongside the likes of Blur and Stevie Wonder, recording collaborations with indie acts such as TV on the Radio as well as earning fans in the likes of Hot Chip and Fever Ray.
Bagayoko suffered from a congenital cataract at the age of 15 and lost his sight as a result. He studied at the Malian Institute for the Young Blind, where he met Doumbia and formed a connection over their mutual love of music.
They began recording music together as Mali’s Blind Couple before switching to performing under their own names. They quickly expanded their sound to incorporate elements of Mande music and Western folk-rock. The duo signed to Parisian label Emarcy in 1996 and released their first multi-nationally available record, Sou Ni Tile, in 1998. Notably, the song ‘Je Pense à Toi’ became a minor hit in France.
Amadou and Mariam were known for lighting up festival crowds with their magnetic performances, having appeared at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Green Man and WOMAD. They received three nominations for Grammy Awards.
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