Taj Mahal : Rolling Stone

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March 4, 1998

Taj Mahal Speaks To Forgotten Blues Artists

blues documentary

Recordings and Reviews

Kulanjan

Taj Mahal is no purist. His recordings, which cherry-pick influences from Jamaica to India, suggest that Mississippi mud is just one of the blues' many ingredients. And Toumani Diabate, a modern master of the twenty-one-string kora -- Mali's ax of choice -- has expanded the reach of West African mus...

1999 RS: 4of 5 Stars

Like Never Before

1991

Live & Direct

1991

Mo' Roots

1974

Recycling the Blues & Other Related Stuff

1972

The Real Thing

1971

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Taj Mahal Official Site

Biography

By the late '60s the blues had evolved from a humble, outlaw Southern folk style and grown into one of the most influential musical forms of the 20th century. Any aspiring bluesmen faced a choice: they could either revisit the music's past glories or accept the difficult challenge of reinventing it once again.

Taj Mahal did both. Born Henry St. Clair Fredericks in 1942, he enjoyed a middle-clas...

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