Being the son of a legend is a heavy inheritance. Ali Farka Touré was one of Africa’s most famous guitarists, a Grammy winner whose music reached the world. His son Vieux took up the same instrument and set out to show he had his own voice.
Niafunké
Boureima “Vieux” Farka Touré was born on 12 March 1981 in Niafunké, the town on the Niger River in northern Mali where his father lived and farmed.
Growing up with music
Vieux grew up surrounded by his father’s music and the musicians who visited. He began playing and later studied in Bamako, developing his own skills away from home.
The debut
In 2005, Eric Herman of Modiba expressed interest in producing an album for Vieux. To do so, he needed permission from Ali Farka Touré, Toumani Diabaté and other community elders, a sign of how seriously family and tradition were taken.
Released in 2007
The self-titled album, produced by Modiba, was released by World Village on 12 February 2007. It featured the kora master Toumani Diabaté and Vieux’s father, who had died in 2006.
A tribute and a beginning
The album served both as a tribute to Ali Farka Touré and as the start of Vieux’s own career, blending his father’s style with his own ideas.
His style
Vieux plays in the tradition of northern Malian guitar music, with hypnotic, blues-like lines. He has also brought in rock energy and worked with musicians from other genres.
Touring
He has toured widely in Europe and North America, performing at festivals and building an audience beyond his father’s fans.
Carrying a name
Vieux often speaks respectfully about his father’s legacy, while making clear that he wants to be judged on his own music.
Mali’s guitar tradition
Northern Mali has produced some of Africa’s most admired guitar music, from Ali Farka Touré to Tuareg bands. Vieux is part of the generation carrying that sound forward.
Collaborations
Beyond Malian musicians, Vieux has recorded with artists from other countries and genres, showing how naturally the northern Malian guitar style can meet rock, blues and jazz.
A second chapter
Ali Farka Touré’s music came from the banks of the Niger. His son’s music comes from the same place, played by a younger hand. Together they form one of Africa’s great musical family stories.
