Mamadou Kelly

Malian Desert Blues Musician

MAMADOU KELLY, born in 1969 near Timbuktu Northern Mali, began working on local farms as a young teenager but was drawn to music. By age 15 Kelly had ventured to Niafunké to learn from the famed Ali Farka Touré. In 1986 he had begun to perform with Touré and at the age of 18 had made his first trip outside of Mali to perform. In 2003 Kelly accompanied Ali Farka Toure to the Folk Live Festival in Washington DC. He performed in 2005 and 2006 at the Festival au Desert in Timbuktu and in 2008 at the Festival sur le Niger in Segou Mali. In 2010 Kelly performed with Afel Bocoum at the Afrika Festival in Hertme, Netherlands and in 2011 they crisscrossed the USA and Canada as part of the Acoustic Africa Tour. Kelly performed in France as part of Africa Express 2012. In 2013 following the political crisis in Mali, Kelly participated in the USA and Europe Caravan for Peace Tours. Kelly recorded his first album, "Adibar" in Bamako in 2013. He followed with a second, “Djamila” recorded in New York in 2015. That album was named a Top of the World by the British magazine, Songlines. During Kelly’s 2016 North American tour he recorded his third album “Politiki” joined on that project by five-time Grammy Award winner Cindy Cashdollar, avant-garde percussionist Susie Ibarra, and bass player Jacob Silver. Kelly is presently working on his fourth album in New York and Bamako. Mamadou Kelly continues to live with his family in Mali and is a mentor to many young Malian musicians.