Bassekou Kouyate | |
|---|---|
 Performing live in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1966 |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | ngoni |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | Outhere Records (Proper Music Distribution) |
Bassekou Kouyate (born 1966) is a musician from Mali. His band is known as Ngoni ba.
He was born into the Kouyate family in Garana, Barouéli Cercle, 60 kilometres from Ségou, in 1966.[1] At the age of 12, he started playing the ngoni. In the late 1980s he moved to the capital, Bamako.[2]
Kouyate's debut album, Segu Blue,[3] was released internationally in 2007 by Outhere Records and distributed in the U.K. by Proper Music Distribution. The album was produced by Lucy Durán.[2] He has also appeared on a number of albums by Toumani Diabaté[2] and has performed in several European countries.[2] In 2010, Kouyaté toured with Béla Fleck.
Kouyate's wife, Amy Sacko, is also a successful solo artist and sings lead in his band.[2][4] His father, Mustapha Kouyate, was a ngoni player and his mother Yagaré Damba was a praise singer.[1] Kouyate, together with Amy Sacko and Ngoni ba, appeared at The 2013 Proms.[5]
