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https://theconversation.com/amadou-bagayoko-the-blind-malian-musician-whose-joyful-songs-changed-west-african-music-253954>
"Amadou Bagayoko (1954-2025), iconic Malian guitarist, singer and composer of
the famed duo Amadou & Mariam – known as “the blind couple of Mali” – passed
away on 4 April in Bamako. He was 70.
The married singers, who met when she was 18 and he 21, took traditional Mali
music and blended it with western rock and many other influences to shape a
whole new sound that was both rich and playful. They would sell millions of
albums for hits like
Sunday in Bamako and
Sabali.
They would tour the world, opening the 2006 men’s Football World Cup, closing
the 2024 Paralympics, singing at former US president Barack Obama’s Nobel Prize
concert, winning awards and selling millions of albums.
Despite this fame, they remained tireless activists for Africans with
disabilities. They were known and admired at home for their integrity, where
Amadou’s passing is much lamented.
As a musician and professor of music with a research focus on Mali’s music, I
met and interviewed Amadou several times. His passing heralds the end of an era
for Mali’s long-held musical dominance in the international market."
RIP,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
