Last week, African music suffered a significant loss with the passing of Amadou Bagayoko, a guitarist renowned for his collaborations with American rock stars, performances at Barack Obama’s Nobel concert, and his stature as a national icon in his home country of Mali.

Bagayoko, alongside his wife, singer Mariam Doumbia, formed the duo Amadou & Mariam, which gained international fame in the 2000s and 2010s, known for hits such as “Beautiful Sundays.” Despite their popularity beyond their homeland mainly fading post their global success peak, they remained celebrities in Europe and West Africa, where their music inspired many budding artists.

Bagayoko’s journey concluded at the age of 70, succumbing to complications from a malaria infection. Despite this, his and Mariam’s influence endure, as they were set to perform across Europe next month.

Interviews with relatives and friends reveal not only their fondest songs by Amadou & Mariam but also express the deep significance of Bagayoko’s guitar-driven compositions, a fusion of blues, guitar solos, and djembe rhythms, to those who knew him.

Cheick Tidiane Seck, a keyboard player who was acquainted with Bagayoko since his teenage years, commemorated his ‘brother’ by starting a concert with “Toubala Kono,” a song marked by a lonely theme, reflecting the profound sadness Seck felt after Bagayoko’s death.

Sam Bagayoko, son of Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia, carries forward the family legacy. His preferred song, “Mogoya,” composed for the family trio, encapsulates the familial pride in their enduring appeal to younger generations and the unique honor of creating music with his parents.

Idrissa Soumaoro, a fellow musician who befriended Bagayoko in the early 1970s, highlighted their shared work at a Malian national school for blind people, where blues music was a constant presence in their “research work.” Soumaoro chose “I Think About You,” a poignant love song that captures the essence of the couple’s enduring bond and their musical success. Reflecting on Bagayoko’s absence, Soumaoro expressed hope for Mariam’s strength in moving forward.

Through these accounts, the legacy of Amadou Bagayoko is not just in the songs he and Mariam created but in the profound impact their music and love had on their community and beyond.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/world/africa/amadou-mariam-bagayoko-songs.html