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Mah Kouyaté no. 1
(Mali)
Biography
There are two Malian singers with the name Mah Kouyaté. This page is about the elder of the two,
commonly referred to as Mah Kouyaté N° 1, a.k.a. Samaya Djely, after her native village of Samaya,
not far from Bamako, in Mande country.
When she was young, she sang in a local group in Bamako, called Tarbam. She worked as a school teacher in Bougouni when she decided to perform again, initially with a local band from Bougouni. Soon, she was asked to sing with the National Badema. She now has her own band Samaya Djeli and she released several cassettes since 2003. Two compilation CDs were released in Paris.
She received two awards at the occasion of the Mali Music Awards in 2004, one for the best album (all categories) and one for best female artist.
Her music is more traditional than that of Mah Kouyaté N° 2 who also released several albums. Mah Kouyaté N° 2, although younger than Nr. 1, died on 7 November 2022 at the age of 46.
When she was young, she sang in a local group in Bamako, called Tarbam. She worked as a school teacher in Bougouni when she decided to perform again, initially with a local band from Bougouni. Soon, she was asked to sing with the National Badema. She now has her own band Samaya Djeli and she released several cassettes since 2003. Two compilation CDs were released in Paris.
She received two awards at the occasion of the Mali Music Awards in 2004, one for the best album (all categories) and one for best female artist.
Her music is more traditional than that of Mah Kouyaté N° 2 who also released several albums. Mah Kouyaté N° 2, although younger than Nr. 1, died on 7 November 2022 at the age of 46.
Mah Kouyaté N° 1
• Samaya Djeli consists of:
Fatoumata Mah Kouyaté: lead vocal
Harouna Barry: bass
Cheick Oumar Diabaté: guitar
Mamadou Koné: n'goni
Bazouma Sissoko: percussion
Lamine Kouyaté: percussion
Born: in Samaya as Fatoumata Mah Kouyaté
Style: mande, malinke, mandingo griot music, praise singing
Discography
Fatoumata Mah Kouyaté: lead vocal
Harouna Barry: bass
Cheick Oumar Diabaté: guitar
Mamadou Koné: n'goni
Bazouma Sissoko: percussion
Lamine Kouyaté: percussion
Born: in Samaya as Fatoumata Mah Kouyaté
Style: mande, malinke, mandingo griot music, praise singing
Discography
| Title | Year | Label | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samaya Djeli Vol.6 | 2014 | Camara Production | CD / cassette |
| Samaya Djeli Vol.4 | 200? | Camara Production | CD / cassette |
| Samaya Djeli Vol.3 | 2006 | Mali K7 | CD-R / cassette |
| Camara Production présente Mah Kouyaté no.1 vol. 2 | 2004? | Camara Production | CD / cassette |
| Camara Production présente Mah Kouyaté no.1 vol. 1 | 2004? | Camara Production | CD / cassette |
Sources
Page added August 2007