| Vieux Farka Touré | |
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Vieux Farka Touré |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Bamako, Mali |
| Genres | Rock, Reggae, Soul, World |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Modiba, Six Degrees Records |
| Website | http://www.vieuxfarkatoure.com |
Boureima "Vieux" Farka Touré is a Malian singer and guitarist. He is the son of Grammy-winning Malian musician Ali Farka Touré.[1]
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Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981 to Ali Farka Touré. Despite his father's discouragement and his family's lineage as a tribe of soldiers, Touré secretly took up the guitar and enrolled in the Institut National des Arts in Bamako, Mali.[2]
In 2005, Eric Herman of Modiba expressed interest in producing an album for Touré; to do so, he had to acquire permission from Ali Touré, Toumani Diabaté, and other community elders.[3] This led to his self-titled debut album, produced by Modiba and released by World Village on 12 February 2007.[4] The album featured Toumani Diabaté, as well as his late father.
Following the release of a remix album, UFOs Over Bamako in 2008, and multiple tours, Vieux released his second studio album in May 2009. Fondo peaked at #5 on Billboard's World Albums chart the week of 11 July 2009 and was included in the Village Voice's Top 100 list for 2009.[5][6]
In June 2010, Vieux was invited to perform at the Opening Celebration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup;[7] other performers included Shakira, Alicia Keys and K’naan. That month, Vieux also released his first live album, LIVE.[8]
Vieux released his third studio album, The Secret, on May 24, 2011. The album was produced by Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno and features Dave Matthews, Derek Trucks, and John Scofield. It also features the last collaboration between Touré and his late father.[9] The album reached the #1 spot on CMJ's New World chart on 10 June 2011.[10]