Born in 1958, Habib Koité comes from a noble line of Khassonké griots. He developed his unique guitar style accompanying his griot mother. He inherited his passion for music from his paternal grandfather who played the djelly n'goni, a traditional instrument associated with hunters from the Wassolou region of Mali. "Nobody really taught me to sing or to play the guitar," explains Habib, "I watched my parents, and it washed off on me."
Habib was headed for a career as an engineer, but on the insistence of his uncle, who recognized Habib's musical...
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