Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara”, Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali. He is the son of legendary Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré. Vieux was initially a drummer/calabash player at Mali’s Institut National des Arts, but secretly began playing guitar in 2001. In 2005, Eric Herman (Vieux’s manager) of Modiba Productions expressed an interest in producing an album for Vieux; this led to Vieux’s self-titled debut album, released by World Village in 2007. Vieux pays homage to his father and follows Ali’s musical tradition, giving new versions of the West African music that is echoed in the American blues. The album features Toumani Diabaté, as well as his late father. On his second record, Fondo on Six Degrees (2009), Vieux branched out and presented his own sound: while remaining true to the roots of his father’s music he uses elements of rock, Latin music, and other African influences. The album received a great deal of critical acclaim from across the globe, and Vieux was clearly moving out of his father’s shadow. By June 2010, Vieux was performing at the opening concert for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Subsequent album released include The Secret (2011), The Tel Aviv Session with Israeli superstar Idan Raichel (2012) and Mon Pays (2013).
Vieux reunited with Idan Raichel in 2014 resulting was yet another musical and critical triumph, titled 'The Paris Session' revered by many as not just a musical gem for the ages but a powerful testimonial to the power of art and fraternity to transcend vast cultural and political divides. In 2015, Vieux released another unexpected, genre-bending collaborative album, this time with New York-based singer Julia Easterlin, aptly titled 'Touristes'. The album shot to the top of the iTunes World chart and earned critical acclaim, including that of John Schaefer (NPR) who called it "brilliant." In April 2017, Vieux released his latest album 'Samba', recorded live in front of a small audience at Applehead Studio in Woodstock, NY. The album was hailed by critics as Vieux's finest, most well-rounded and mature album to date. With each new project, Vieux expands his horizons, embraces new challenges and further entrenches his reputation as one of the world’s most talented and innovative musicians.
