Lyrics | Artists | Mory Kanté

Mory Kanté

Kora player Mory Kanté expanded global awareness for the music of West Africa, perpetuated the musical traditions of the Mandinka people (an ethnic group spanning Mali, Guinea, and the Ivory Coast), and landed a global hit single in the process. Born in Guinea on March 29, 1950, Kanté grew up in a family of griots, a caste in the Mandinka society that carries and celebrates its stories and history through song and literature. His first instrument was the balafon, a regional variation on the marimba, but picked up the kora -- a 21-stringed instrument reminiscent of the harp and lu...