Ali Ibrahim "Ali Farka" Touré (31 October 1939 – 6 March 2006) was a Malian singer and multi-instrumentalist, and one of the African continent's most internationally renowned musicians. His music blends traditional Malian music and its derivative, African American blues and is considered a pioneer of African desert blues. Touré was ranked number 76 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and number 37 on Spin magazine's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Some years after his death, a group of musicians playing in his style performed as the Ali Farka Touré Allstars (2012), and later the Ali Farka Touré Band (formed 2014).
Links to Peel[]
Ali Farka Toure's music was played regularly by Peel's colleague, Andy Kershaw, who first discovered the singer by picking up a record in a red sleeve from a bargain bin in a Parisian record store. Peel may have discovered the artist via Andy Kershaw and liked some of his music, before playing it on his shows in the 80's and 90's. After 2000, Peel rarely played any of Ali's materials on his radio programmes.
Shows Played[]
- 17 February 1987: Baliky Lalo (LP - Ali Farka Touré) Disques Espérance
- 1990
- 25 June 1990: Ai Bine (LP - The River) World Circuit
- 1996
- 25 May 1996: 'Yer Mali Gakoyoyo (CD-Radio Mali)' (World Circuit)
- 09 June 1996 (BFBS): 'Yer Mali Gakoyoyo (CD-Radio Mali)' (World Circuit)