Trivia

Dedicated his time and resources to better the agricultural and social situation in Niafunke his home village in the semi-desert region in Northern Mali.

He was a giant among African musicians and known for drawing a connection between American blues and indigenous guitar music of Mali.

Two-time Grammy award winner.

His childhood town of Niafunke has become a pilgrimage spot for locals and tourists.

His musical influences included Ray Charles, Otis Redding and John Lee Hooker.

Two-time Grammy Award winner who was one of Africa's most famous performers. Toure played a traditional Malian stringed instrument called the gurkel, and was one of the original progenitors of a genre known as Mali Blues.

Was born in the northern Sahara Desert trading post of Timbuktu. Like many Africans of his generation, the exact date of his birth was not recorded.

Martin Scorsese called his style of music "the DNA of the blues".