Audio Vieux Farka Toure
Vieux Farka Toure

His father isn't as well known across the globe as the likes of Bob Marley or John Lennon, but is his native Mali, Vieux Farka Toure is following in the footsteps of a figure like no other.

Legendary Malian bluesman Ali Farka Toure passed away in March 2006, and little more than a year later, his son has released his self-titled debut album, following in his father's footsteps both sonically and professionally.

On a break between tours in support of the album, Toure sat down in his hometown of Bamako, Mali, for an e-mail interview.

MP3.com: Do you remember the first time you picked up the guitar? Vieux Farka Toure: The first time I picked up the guitar with any seriousness was at the Arts Institute in Bamako when I was 19 or 20. Before then, I was too intimidated to do it. My father was such an important personality in African guitar, I couldnt pick it up myself just like that. I had to get there gradually. Did you feel an immediate connection to the instrument, or did it develop over time? I felt a connection immediately. I knew I was home when I first started playing--I was in the bath [as we say]. I started playing the guitar for hours upon hours and couldn't get enough. How would you describe your sound and the subjects of your songs? My sound is an extenstion of my father's style--a continuation of the same path that he forged. I am of the new generation, so my sound is influenced by modern instruments, styles, and more international music, but it's all based on the same feeling, the same roots as my father's music. My songs discuss problems in my society. I dont like to sing about love very much--too many people sing about that sort of thing already--I like to talk about what I see around me, what bothers me in my everyday life. For example, I sing against hypocrisy, trickery, and corruption. I also like to transmit the wisdom of my elders about charity, respect, generosity, and dignity. Did your father ever warn you about getting into the music business, or did he encourage you right away? My father [forbade] me from playing music until very near the end of his life because he did not want me to be involved in the music business. He told me of the exploitation, the lies, and the cheating. It was only when he saw that this was truly my destiny and what I loved to do that he gave his blessing. Even still, he warned me to his dying day about the problems in the music business. What was life like growing up? Was music as central to your life as one would expect for the son of Ali Farka Toure? I was always involved in music. Ever since I can remember I loved music and listened to everything I could find. I started playing when I was a child--playing drums and calabash. But like I said, my father didn't want me to follow his path at first, so it wasn't something I was free to pursue fully in public. Do you hope to do anything different musically than your father, or is it more about continuing his tradition? It is about both continuing his tradition and doing different things. Those ideas go together. My father did things that were different from those around him in his time. So am I. It is his tradition of transmitting the wisdom of our culture and being an ambassador for Mali that I am most concerned about carrying on. Do you ever worry that life would be filled with lower expectations if you had not pursued the same craft as your father? I dont really think about what life would be like if I did something else. To me, I had no other choice. I was born a musician. It is my responsibility to live as I am, to fulfill what's inside me. So I can't really imagine doing anything else with my life. I suppose if I wasn't playing music I would be working on our farm in Niafunke, but I do that when I'm not playing music anyways. Talk about working with Toumani Diabate. Have you known him for a long time? How did you decide to work together? I have known Toumani for many years. He and my father became very close and along with that he became like a second father to me. It was he that took me under his wing when I got through the Arts Institute. He taught me southern Malian music--Manding and Bambara--and invited me to play in his band. It was all of this encouragement that convinced me that I was capable of pursuing music professionally. So when it came time to record my first album, it was not even a decision that had to be made; of course Toumani would be involved! What has been the reaction of your hometown to your album? People love the album. They're very happy that I have made the effort to continue my father's path. They love to sing along to "Ma Hine Cocore." [Laughs.] Do you plan to tour in support of the album? I'll be touring nearly all year. Now that the album is out and it's had such a good response from the people that have heard it, its up to me to get the music to all corners of the world. So I'll be playing as much as I can.