Mamady Keïta was born in 1950 in Balandugu (Guinea), a village of Wassolon, near the Fé River. His father was a master hunter and a fida tigi (master of the plants, that is to say a healer). His mother, wishing to know the destiny of the child that she was carrying, consulted a soothsayer who announced that it would be her last son: « The child must be left to amuse himself because it is there that he will make is name ».

From when he was old enough to crawl, Mamady descended on all the pots and pans in order to turn them over and beat on them. « My son will therefore be a djembefola »; his mother said to herself and she had an instrument constructed to his size. Very quickly he surprised everyone by his natural gifts. No one could believe their ears and they would ask themselves how such a small boy could draw such a sound from a drum. Mamady “Nankama” (Mamady-who-was-born-for-that), and “Balandugudjina” (the devil of Balandugu) are his two nicknames.

He owed his initiation into the history of the Mandeng and its music to Karinkadjan Kondé, an old djembefola (djembe player) of his village; in Malinke they say « Words come forth from an old mouth to enter a new ear ». Curious about everything, he would not rest until he knew, firstly all the rhythms of the Wassolon, then of the Mandeng and those of the neighboring ethnic groups.

Sekou Touré wished to spotlight Guinean Culture through music and dance and therefore devised a system of local, regional and national competitions that would attract the best artists of the land into the National Ballets of Guinea. Out of over 500 competitors, Mamady Keita, at the age of fourteen, was selected as one of 5 percussionists, only three of which were djembe players. There were forty-five artists that comprised the National Ballet “Djoliba” and Mamady was the youngest member. For over twenty years, Mamady travelled around the world with Djoliba, only resting between tours for short periods in his native country.

He was named lead djembe soloist only one year after Djoliba was formed, he was only 15 years old. At seventeen, the young drummer was cast in a Harry Belafonte film titled Africa Dance. After 15 years in the Ballet Djoliba, at the age of 29, Mamady became the Artistic Director and fulfilled this function until 1986 when he left the Ballet for good; this was the first time that a drummer was given the position of Artistic Director.

Desiring to get out of the cocoon formed by the ballet and to establish his own name as an independent musician, he joined Souleymane Koli’s “Koteba” based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He stayed with the band for a year and a half and completed two more world tours. It was in this period that he was cast in his second movie, La vie platinée.

By 1988 Mamady’s name began to travel beyond West Africa. It was then that a group of percussionists in Belgium who had formed a non-profit organization called Zig Zag negotiated to bring Mamady to Brussels to teach and perform at their music school called Repercussions. Later that same year, Mamady established his own performance ensemble, Sewa Kan. The name refers to a Malinke proverb which says, « Ni kan tiyen, sewa tiyen. Ni sewa tiyen, kantiyen », “Without music there is no joy, without joy there is no music.”

In 1989 Mamady records his first album with Sewa Kan titled Wassolon, produced by Zig Zag and Fonti Musicali in Brussels.

Mamady is the first percussionist to organize a drum and dance workshop in collaboration with the Republic of Guinea’s Secretary of Arts & Culture; his first camp in 1990 is officially recognized as an international cultural exchange and 35 European students are hosted by the Secretary of Arts & Culture in Conakry for an intensive 4-week drum and dance camp. Mamady has continued to bring students to Guinea each year since.

In 1991, Mamady opens his own school of percussion in Brussels, Belgium called Tam Tam Mandingue, “drums of the Manding”. The school rapidly gains an international reputation and in just a few years he opens branches in Paris, Munich, Conakry, USA, Japan and Israel. Today there are over a dozen Tam Tam Mandingue schools around the world.

Also in this same year, 1991, Mamady’s own life-story is put on the big screen in an award-winning documentary film titled “Djembefola, the Man Who Makes the Djembe Speak”. Directed by Laurent Chevallier, this film introduces us to Mamady Keita, the world’s greatest djembe player and shares his magical and emotional journey back to his birth village of Balandugu, (Guinea) after a 26-year absence. Mamady hears from his older brother how the local soothsayer predicted his destiny when he was still in his mother’s womb. The film won several international awards and propelled the culture of the djembe around the world.

In 1992, Mamady releases his second album titled Nankama featuring Sewa Kan, produced by Fonti Musicali.

In 1994, contacted by Japanese producer Nonoue Katsuo, from Sponichi Creates, Mamady completes his first tour of Japan with his group Sewa Kan. The documentary film titled “Mamady Keita and 38 little hands” follows Mamady to a tiny island in the far south of Japan, called Mishima, where Mamady takes 16 Japanese children under his wing to teach them the culture and music of the djembe. Together, Mamady and these 38 little hands travel north to perform in Japan’s largest cities but in the end must say a very emotional goodbye.

In 1995, Fonti Musicali and Mamady Keita travel to Conakry, Guinea to produce a LIVE recording titled Mogobalu, featuring two of Guinea’s elder djembe masters, Fadouba Oulare and Famadou Konate. This double disc also features many of Guinea’s finest vocalists and musicians playing such traditional instruments as the Balafon, Kora, Bolon, and Flute.

In 1996, they return again to Conakry, Guinea to record a second LIVE album titled Hamanah, which features djembe master Famadou Konate. This album is dedicated to the rhythms that belong to the dounoumba family of rhythms, that is, dances of strong men.

In 1998, Fonti Musicali brings Mamady into the studio in Brussels to record his fifth album, titled Afo, this time with his group Sewa Kan. In this same year, Mamady releases a series of instructional videos with Sponichi Creates, produced by Nonoue Katsuo.

During January of 1999, Sponichi Creates produces a second documentary film, which follows 4 very lucky Japanese children together with Mamady as they return to Mamady’s birth village, Balandugu. Once in his village, the children take classes with Mamady side by side with local children and at the end of one week they all perform together for the surrounding villages in a great celebration.

Later this same year, “Mamady Keita: A Life for the Djembe”, the book written co-written by Mamady Keita and Uschi Billimeier, is published by Arun-Verlag. The book is not only practical, with 60 rhythms notated and an instructional cd with 21 rhythms included, but it also gives historical and cultural information on the instruments and the rhythms themselves. Today, it is regarded as the best reference on the djembe and traditional rhythms; it is on its fifth edition and available now in 4 languages (German, French, English and Japanese).

During this same trip, Mamady records his sixth album with Fonti Musicali, which is released in 2000. This double disc, titled Balandugukan, features Mamady and local musicians from the Wassolon region of Eastern Guinea playing rhythms unique to this area.

Back in Brussels, Director Laurent Chevallier produces a second documentary film titled “Mogobalu” in which Mamady discusses what it is to be a Master drummer, from initiation and knowing the secrets of the djembe, to the responsibilities of passing on this tradition to the next generation and ensuring its survival. This film features excerpts from an extraordinary concert with Mamady & Sewa Kan at Couleur Café in Brussels, recorded in 1998. In this concert, some of Africa’s greatest musicians, such as Manu Dibango, Mory Kante, Kadja Nin, Paco Seri, Doudou N’Diaye Rose, Famadou Konate and Soungalo Coulibaly are featured.

In 2001, Fonti Musicali releases Mamady Léé. This album is also recorded LIVE at Mamady’s home in Conakry, Guinea.

In 2002, Fonti Musicali releases A Giate. The idea behind this album was to feature traditional music from many of Guinea’s ethnic groups from the 4 regions of Guinea (Coastal, Central, Southern, North Eastern).

In 2003, Mamady begins making his transition from Europe to the United States. In this year, he produces in collaboration with Tam Tam Mandingue USA, a video titled “DjembeKan” (the sound of the djembe), which features 4 solo performances captured during his teaching tours in the United States from 1998-2002. This video is a musical journey, a story expertly woven by Mamady Keita, which carries the viewer beyond this universe and shows the true power of the djembe.

2004 proves to be a very busy year for Mamady, not only does he go on tour for one month with Sewa Kan throughout Europe, but he also completes his move to the United States and sets up his school’s headquarters in San Diego, California (USA). At this time he also releases his 9th album, Sila Laka, recorded LIVE in Conakry as well as a new set of instructional DVD’s, titled “Les Rythmes du Mandingue” Volumes I, II and III, all of which is produced by Fonti Musicali. With his move to the United States, Mamady also sets up his own production company, called Djembefola Productions, which will allow him to manufacture and distribute past and future products around the world.

Mamady Keita’s first full-length LIVE concert DVD and CD, titled “Mamady Keita & Sewa Kan LIVE@CouleurCafe” are released in 2005 in a collaboration between Zig Zag World, Fenix Music and Mamady’s own Djembefola Productions. In addition, Mamady’s long-time student Rainer Arold releases a series of 12 instructional CDs this year. In this set, each CD contains one rhythm broken down into it’s component parts and features 3 play along tracks at different speeds, each beginning with Mamady playing that rhythm’s sequence of traditional solo phrases.

2005 also sees the launch of Mamady’s new Official Home Page, www.mamadykeita.com

In 2006, Djembefola Productions and Fonti Musicali collaborate to release on one DVD the two newly re-mastered films ”Djembefola” and “Mogobalu”, (by Laurent Chevallier).

Mamady continues to teach at his school in San Diego alongside his wife Monette Marino-Keita. Together they travel the world carrying out his mission to preserve the tradition and the music of the djembe. Visit www.mamadykeita.com for his Calendar of Events/Workshops. Visit www.ttmusa.org for information on all of Mamady’s Tam Tam Mandingue schools or to purchase products by Mamady Keita.

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