Vieux Farka Touré

Biography

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 latest 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.

The Touré-Raichel Collective

A chance meeting at an airport in Germany, with Israeli singer-songwriter Idan Raichel led to an impromptu get together at a small studio in Tel Aviv in November 2010. Joined by Israeli bassist Yossi Fine and Malian calabash player Souleymane Kane, this recording session – acoustic, spontaneous and entirely improvised – resulted in the birth of The Touré-Raichel Collective. The group's debut album, The Tel Aviv Session, was released by Cumbancha on March 27, 2012. The Touré-Raichel Collective completed a North American tour in Spring 2012, and European tours in Fall 2012 and Spring 2013.

Discography

With the Touré-Raichel Collective