Afro-Blues is born in Mali Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia are the members of Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, which s named after the artists themselves.Previously, Amadou was a member of Les Ambassadeurs du Hotel in 1974 and remained in the band for six years. In the early 1980s, the couple became acquainted at the Institute for the Young Blind and realised immediately that, among other things in common, they shared an interest in music.

They fell in love, married and decided to replicate their union on a professional level, undertaking a joint musical career.

From then on, the band known internationally as “the blind couple from Mali” has shown that apart from their passion for music, they also share an unrivalled talent to which the critics have already succumbed.

Taking traditional Malian music as their source of inspiration, the duo uses many different instruments to play sounds from a wide variety of origins such as Cuba, Syria, and Colombia, as well as rhythms from various other cultures including India and Egypt. The result is a musical melting pot that is known today as “Afro-Blues”.

In 2004, Manu Chao manifested his interest in the work and musical style developed by Amadou & Maiam and offered his services for the production of their double album “Dimanche à Bamako”.

In 2006, it was Herbert Grönemeyer’s turn to join the duo for a joint recording of “Celebrate The Day”, the theme tune for the World Football Championship, which was a chart hit in Germany.

This year, Amadou & Mariam will be taking to the stage at the Med Festival in June with a personal performance of their new album, also produced by Manu Chao. After trying out their rhythms on the Portuguese public, Amadou & Mariam will be heading Stateside, where they will perform before thousands of fans at the Lollapalooza Festival, in Chicago.

Official Site - http://www.amadou-mariam.com/
MySpace Site - http://www.myspace.com/amadouandmariam