New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Malian musical duo and Grammy Award nominees
Amadou & Mariam are teaming up with five-time Grammy Award-winning gospel group
Blind Boys of
Alabama for the new single "Bamako To Birmingham" and its b-side, "Two Cultures, One Beat," out Friday, July 26 via Because Music.
The cross-genre collaboration came about after conversations between the groups on opposite sides of the Atlantic. The
Blind Boys kicked off the recording process by laying down two tracks in the U.S. featuring their distinctive vocals, with
Amadou & Mariam adding their contributions from the studio in Mali.
The two groups are currently on tour together in Europe, with upcoming performances set for Cork, Ireland; Cambridge, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Västra Götalands län, Sweden. See below for a list of tour dates.
Among the most famous ambassadors for Malian music,
Amadou & Mariam have managed to joyfully combine their love story with a musical career for the past forty-odd years. They have collaborated with a broad array of artists, working with producers Damon Albarn and
Manu Chao and inviting contemporary artists such as Santigold, TV On The
Radio and the
Yeah Yeah Yeahs to record with them.
Amadou & Mariam have played many of the world's biggest festivals, from Coachella to Glastonbury, and opened for bands such as
Coldplay and the Scissor Sisters. By enriching their Afro-pop with new elements, the duo has brought African music to the charts and to the dance floor.
The career of the
Blind Boys of
Alabama spans over 70 years and they are recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music. The five-time Grammy Award winners are known for crossing musical boundaries with their remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favorites to contemporary spiritual material by songwriters such as Eric Clapton,
Prince and Tom Waits. They have appeared on recordings with many artists, including
Peter Gabriel, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Chrissie Hynde and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.
AMADOU & MARIAM and BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA,
FROM BAMAKO TO BIRMINGHAM TOUR
August 1 Cork, Ireland Skibereen Arts Festival
August 2 Cork, Ireland Skibereen Arts Festival
August 4 Cambridge, England Cambridge Folk Festival
August 7 Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh Fringe Festival
August 8 Västra Götalands län, Sweden Way Out West.
