Ali Farka Toure

One of the best-known African musicians of all time, the renowned Malian singer and guitarist Ali Farka Toure was one of the pioneers of African desert blues. Born to a noble cast, he was forbidden to play music but wound up representing Mali in the early 1960s on an international contest held in Bulgaria, where he bought his first guitar and was exposed to the music of John Lee Hooker, which became a big influence. This self-titled classic was recorded for Radio Mali in 1977 and captures Toure at his magnificent best, with just his guitar for accompaniment, and an unusual violin on both ‘Yer Mali Wolo’ and ‘Remobe.’