ArtistInfo

Djelimady Tounkara

g, *1947 ML
Musician of World and Folk

Djelimady Tounkara is a Malian musician and one of the foremost guitarists in Africa.Born in the culturally rich town of Kita, west of the Malian capital, Bamako, Djelimady grew up surrounded with traditional music played by members of his family, griots, musicians and historians by birth. Djelimady played djembe drum and ngoni, a banjo-like lute, as a boy. When he moved to Mali's capital, Bamako, during the 1960s, he had actually planned to work as a tailor. But music proved a stronger calling. He started playing guitar in a large, government-sponsored neighborhood band, Orchestre Misira. Voted the best guitarist in the band, Djelimady was selected to join the Orchestre National as rhythm guitarist, a great honor for the young player.

Genres

• World
• Folk
• R&B/Soul
• Pop

Plays With