Afropop Worldwide

Mamady Kouyate is an heir to a long line of griots, he was first taught by his father who was one of the first Guinean griots to introduce the guitar. Kouyate senior specialized in transcribing traditional kora and balafon lines for the guitar and his son Mamady first made his mark as an electric guitarist, eventually joining Guinea’s most famous export, Bembeya Jazz, with whom he toured for years. After he relocated to the U.S. in the early 2000s, he founded the Mandingo Ambassadors, a vehicle for his own music based the classic '70s sound of Guinea's legendary Sylliphone recordings.