Habib Koité
Habib Koité (Bambara: ߤߊߓߌߓ ߞߎߥߊߕߍ, romanized: Habib Kuwatɛ, born 1958 in Thiès, Senegal) is a Senegalian-born Malian musician, singer, songwriter and griot based in Mali. His band, Bamada, was a supergroup of West African musicians, which included Kélétigui Diabaté on balafon. Coming from a noble lineage of Khassonké griots, Koité is known for developing a distinctive guitar style that blends traditional Malian musical forms with elements of blues and Afro-Cuban music, while maintaining strong roots in Mali’s regional rhythms and cultural traditions.
Also recorded as Habib Koite
Habib Koité
Tom Beetz @ · Habib Koité · CC BY 2.0
- Born
- 1958. · Thiès.
- Nationality
- Mali.
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter, musician, singer and composer.
- Fields
- world music and music of Africa.
- Education
- Institut National des Arts and Bamako.
- Languages
- English and Bambara.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Habib Koité (Bambara: ߤߊߓߌߓ ߞߎߥߊߕߍ, romanized: Habib Kuwatɛ, born 1958 in Thiès, Senegal) is a Senegalian-born Malian musician, singer, songwriter and griot based in Mali. His band, Bamada, was a supergroup of West African musicians, which included Kélétigui Diabaté on balafon. Coming from a noble lineage of Khassonké griots, Koité is known for developing a distinctive guitar style that blends traditional Malian musical forms with elements of blues and Afro-Cuban music, while maintaining strong roots in Mali’s regional rhythms and cultural traditions.
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Authority files
gnd · 10327430-3 · wikidata · Q337249 · wikipedia · Habib Koité
In this article
Musical style
Musical style
Koité is known for his approach to playing the guitar by tuning it on a pentatonic scale and playing on open strings as one would on a kamale n'goni.
History
History
Habib was born in Mali in 1958 and enrolled in the National Institute of Arts in Bamako. In 1988 he formed his first band, Bamada. He released his first solo album, Muso Ko, in 1995, followed by further solo works in later years. Two of his songs, I Ka Barra and Din Din Wo, from Muso Ko, were included in the Sample Music package included with Windows Vista.
Albums
Albums
Muso Ko, 1995 Ma Ya, 1998 Baro, 2001 Live!, 2004 Afriki, 2007 Acoustic Africa in Concert, 2011 Brothers in Bamako, 2012 Soô, 2014 Kharifa, 2019
Habib Koité (Mali), appearance at the 39th music festival "Bardentreffen" 2014 in Nuremberg, Germany, Schuett island stage
Rs-foto
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
2009
Habib Koité - Live @ KEXP 3/30/09 (2009) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
2022
Habib Koite - Florence, MA - November 10, 2022 - M700 - flac24 (2022) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q337249: Habib Koité
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Habib Koité”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 10327430-3, Habib Koité & Bamada.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
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Bibliography printed in the source article · 3
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 10327430-3, Habib Koité & Bamada.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Studied at
1- Institut National des ArtsOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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