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(Super) Rail Band
(Mali)
Biography
The Rail Band has been created as the house band of the buffet of the train station
in Bamako by Tidiani Koné, saxophonist and bandleader. Twice a week,
the band played in the station's restaurant and was successful. Soon, the band was joined by a young
singer Salif Keita (in 1970), and later by
Mory Kante and guitar player
Djelimady Tounkara. Mory Kanté
played balafon and guitar but took over as a lead singer from Salif who was forced to leave, allegedly
for being often late at concerts. Another lead singer of the mid-seventies was Makan Ganessy,
who stopped his involvement in music entirely in 1976 as an act of religiousness and he even asked Radio Mali to
destroy all his recordings.
Around 1975, the Rail Band went to Nigeria on tour, and recorded a couple of albums. From the beginning, the Rail Band combined the rumba and modern music styles with traditional Malian, mainly Bambara, music to a new electric Mandingo music and therefore the band has been very influential.
In the 1980s, Tidiani Kone and Mory Kante had left, but the Rail Band continued, with a West African tour. In 1990, the band, in the meantime renamed in Super Rail Band made a first step towards an international career.
After a first international release in 1985, a record deal with the French Indigo/Label Bleu in the 1990s turned out to be a good choice. Although the 1994 album wasn't quite as good, the « Mansa » album is a real gem. Despite the fact that they lost their link with the Malian railways, and thus their status as civil servants years ago, with singers like Damory Kouyaté and Samba Sissoko, the Super Rail Band showed a degree of continuity that was rarely seen among the old big orchestras in Mali. Their next album « Kongo Sigui » was released in May 2003, and a European tour from May to July 2003 gave way to more fame.
Created: 1970 in Bamako, Mali, as the Orchestre du Buffet de la Gare de Bamako
Style: electric Mandingo music
Around 1975, the Rail Band went to Nigeria on tour, and recorded a couple of albums. From the beginning, the Rail Band combined the rumba and modern music styles with traditional Malian, mainly Bambara, music to a new electric Mandingo music and therefore the band has been very influential.
In the 1980s, Tidiani Kone and Mory Kante had left, but the Rail Band continued, with a West African tour. In 1990, the band, in the meantime renamed in Super Rail Band made a first step towards an international career.
After a first international release in 1985, a record deal with the French Indigo/Label Bleu in the 1990s turned out to be a good choice. Although the 1994 album wasn't quite as good, the « Mansa » album is a real gem. Despite the fact that they lost their link with the Malian railways, and thus their status as civil servants years ago, with singers like Damory Kouyaté and Samba Sissoko, the Super Rail Band showed a degree of continuity that was rarely seen among the old big orchestras in Mali. Their next album « Kongo Sigui » was released in May 2003, and a European tour from May to July 2003 gave way to more fame.
Created: 1970 in Bamako, Mali, as the Orchestre du Buffet de la Gare de Bamako
Style: electric Mandingo music
Super Rail Band
Musicians on the album Mansa (1996):
Kabiné Keita chef d'orchestre, saxophone
Djelimady Tounkara lead guitar, arranger
Mamadou Ouedraogo saxophone
Fotigui Keita bass
Ali Dembele rhythm guitar
Maguett Diop drums
Lassana Bagayogo, Bamba Dembele percussion
Damory Kouyaté, Samba Sissoko, Adama Fomba vocals
Mamani "Assitan" Keita, Kandé Djoubaté chorus
Discography
| Title | Year | Label | Remarks |
| Allo Bamako | 2007 | Oriki Music ORK002 | RE, by Djelimady Tounkara & Super Rail Band International |
| Kongo Sigui | 2003 | Indigo LBLC 2581 | |
| Mansa | 1996 | Indigo LBLC 2520 | |
| Super Rail Band de Bamako/ Djougouya Magni | 1994 | Indigo LBLC 2500 | |
| New Dimensions in Rail Culture | 1985 | Globestyle ORB001 | |
| Affair social | 1979 | Sacodis LS25 | L'Orchestre Super Rail Band International |
| Dioulou Koussoube | 1979 | Sacodis LS24 | Mamadou Ouedraogo & Orchestre Super Rail Band International |
| Albums by the Rail Band: | |||
| Belle époque vol.3: Dioba | 2009 | Stern's STCD3043-44 | Compilation 2CD, feat. S.Keita, M.Kanté, Makan Ganessy et.al. |
| Belle époque vol.2: Mansa | 2008 | Stern's STCD3039-40 | Compilation 2CD, feat. S.Keita, M.Kanté, Makan Ganessy |
| Belle époque vol.1: Soundiata | 2007 | Stern's STCD3033-34 | Compilation 2CD, feat. Salif Keita & Mory Kanté |
| Classics Titles | 2006 | Cantos | Compilation CD |
| Mory Kanté & Salif Keita | 1999 | Sono CDS | CD, reissue of older recordings |
| Mory Kanté | 1988 | Syllart 38757-1 (SYL8378) | LP, reissue of 1977 recordings |
| Salif Keita & Mory Kanté | 1988 | Syllart 38750-1 (SYL8357) | LP, reissue of older recordings |
| Melodias "Rail Band" du Mali (Soundiata) | 1976 | Kouma KLP 1043 | LP |
| Concert "Rail Band" du Mali | 1976 | Kouma KLP 1042 | LP |
| Melodias Rail Band du Mali (Kankoun/Soyomba) | 1976 | Kouma KLP 1040 | LP |
| Sunjata | 1970 | Bärenreiter-Musicaphon BM30L2606 (LP) | |
Page added June 2003