Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr. (born May 17, 1942), better known by his stage name Taj Mahal, is an American blues musician. He plays the guitar, piano, banjo, harmonica, and many other instruments,Evans, et al., xii. often incorporating elements of world music into his work. Mahal has done much to reshape the definition and scope of blues music over the course of his more than 50-year career by fusing it with nontraditional forms, including sounds from the Caribbean, Africa, India, Hawaii, and the South Pacific.Komara, 951.

Early life

Mahal was born Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr. on May 17, 1942, in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

, New York City. Growing up in Springfield,

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, he was raised in a musical environment: his mother was a member of a local

gospel choir Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

and his father, Henry Saint Claire Fredericks Sr., was an Afro-Caribbean

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

arranger and piano player. His family owned a shortwave radio which received music broadcasts from around the world, exposing him at an early age to world music.DiCaire, 9 Early in childhood he recognized the stark differences between the

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

of his day and the music that was played in his home. He also became interested in jazz, enjoying the works of musicians such as Charles Mingus,

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

and Milt Jackson.Tipaldi, 179–185 His parents came of age during the Harlem Renaissance, instilling in their son a sense of pride in his Caribbean and African ancestry through their stories. Taj Mahal MQ2007-c

Because his father was a musician, his home frequently hosted other musicians from the Caribbean, Africa, and the US. His father was called "The Genius" by

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

before starting his family.White, '' Billboard'' Early on, Henry Jr. developed an interest in African music, which he studied assiduously as a young man. His parents encouraged him to pursue music, starting him out with

classical piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

lessons. He also studied the clarinet, trombone and harmonica.Madsen, 60–73 When Henry Jr. was eleven years old, his father was killed in an accident at his construction company, crushed by a tractor when it flipped over. It was an extremely traumatic experience for the boy. Mahal's mother later remarried. His stepfather owned a guitar which Henry Jr. began using at age 13 or 14, receiving his first lessons from a new neighbor from North Carolina of his own age who played acoustic blues guitar. His name was Lynwood Perry, the nephew of the famous bluesman

Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup Arthur William "Big Boy" Crudup (August 24, 1905 – March 28, 1974) was an American Delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known, outside blues circles, for his songs "That's All Right" (1946), " My Baby Left Me" and "So Gl ...

. In high school Henry Jr. sang in a doo-wop group. For some time he thought of pursuing farming over music. His passion began on a dairy farm in

Palmer, Massachusetts Palmer is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,448 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Palmer adopted a home rule charter in 2004 with a counc ...

, not far from Springfield, at age 16. By 19, he had become farm foreman. "I milked anywhere between thirty-five and seventy cows a day. I clipped udders. I grew corn. I grew Tennessee redtop clover. Alfalfa."George-Warren, et al., 129 Mahal believes in growing one's own food, saying, "You have a whole generation of kids who think everything comes out of a box and a can, and they don't know you can grow most of your food." Because of his personal support of the family farm, Mahal regularly performs at

Farm Aid Farm Aid is an annual benefit concert held for American farmers. History On July 13, 1985, while performing at the Live Aid benefit concert for the 1983–1985 Ethiopian famine, Bob Dylan made comments about family farmers within the United St ...

concerts. Henry chose his stage name,

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

, from dreams he had about

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and social tolerance. He started using the stage name in 1959Strong, 493–494 or 1961—around the same time he began attending the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medical ...

. Despite having attended a vocational agriculture school, becoming a member of the National FFA Organization, and majoring in animal husbandry and minoring in

veterinary science Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

and agronomy, Mahal decided to pursue music instead of farming. In college he led a

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

band called Taj Mahal & The Elektras. Before heading for the U.S. West Coast, he was also part of a duo with Jessie Lee Kincaid.

Career

Mahal moved to Santa Monica, California, in 1964 and formed

Rising Sons Rising Sons was an American, Los Angeles, California-based blues rock and folk music band, which was founded in 1965. Their initial career was short-lived, but the group found retrospective fame for launching the careers of singer Taj Mahal and g ...

with fellow blues rock musicians Ry Cooder and Jessie Lee Kincaid, landing a record deal with Columbia Records soon after.

Jesse Ed Davis Jesse Edwin Davis III (September 21, 1944 – June 22, 1988) was a Native American guitarist. He was well regarded as a session artist and solo performer, was a member of Taj Mahal's backing band and played with musicians such as Eric Clapton, J ...

, a

Kiowa Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and e ...

native from Oklahoma, joined Taj Mahal and played guitar and piano on Mahal's first four albums. The group was one of the first interracial bands of the period, which may have hampered their commercial viability. However, Rising Sons bassist

Gary Marker Gary "Magic" Marker (May 23, 1943 – December 8, 2015) was an American bass guitarist and recording engineer, best known for his involvement in various psychedelic rock bands of the 1960s. A bass player with jazz leanings, who had studied at Ber ...

later recalled the band's members had come to a creative impasse and were unable to reconcile their musical and personal differences even with the guidance of veteran producer

Terry Melcher Terrence Paul Melcher (born Terrence Paul Jorden; February 8, 1942 – November 19, 2004) was an American record producer, singer, and songwriter who was instrumental in shaping the mid-to-late 1960s California Sound and folk rock movements. His ...

. They recorded enough songs for a full-length album, but released only a single and the band soon broke up.

Legacy Records In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

did release ''The Rising Sons Featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder'' in 1992 with material from that period. During this time Mahal was also working with other musicians like

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaugh ...

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list ...

, and

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago ...

. Mahal stayed with Columbia for his solo career, releasing the self-titled ''Taj Mahal'' and ''The Natch'l Blues'' in 1968. His track "

Statesboro Blues "Statesboro Blues" is a Piedmont blues song written by Blind Willie McTell, who recorded it in 1928. The title refers to the town of Statesboro, Georgia. In 1968, Taj Mahal recorded a popular blues rock adaptation of the song with a prominent sli ...

" was featured on side 2 of the very successful Columbia/CBS

sampler album A sampler or promotional compilation is a type of compilation album generally offered at a reduced price to showcase an artist or a selection of artists signed to a particular record label. The format became popular in the late 1960s as record lab ...

, '' The Rock Machine Turns You On'', giving a huge early impetus to his career. ''Giant Step/De Old Folks at Home'' with session musician Jesse Ed Davis followed in 1969. During this time he and Cooder worked with

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

, with whom he has performed at various times throughout his career.Vickers, album insert In 1968, he performed in the film ''

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus ''The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus'' was a concert show organised by the Rolling Stones on 11–12 December 1968. The show was filmed on a makeshift circus stage with Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull, The Who, Taj Mahal (musician), Taj Mah ...

''. He recorded a total of twelve albums for Columbia from the late 1960s into the 1970s. His work of the 1970s was especially important, in that his releases began incorporating West Indian and Caribbean music, jazz and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

into the mix. In 1972, he acted in and wrote the film score for the movie '' Sounder'', which starred

Cicely Tyson Cicely Louise Tyson (December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades in film, television and theatre, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson recei ...

. He reprised his role and returned as composer in the sequel, '' Part 2, Sounder''. In 1976 Mahal left Columbia and signed with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, recording three albums for them. One of these was another film score for 1977's ''

Brothers A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

''; the album shares the same name. After his time with Warner Bros., he struggled to find another record contract, this being the era of heavy metal and disco music. TAJ MAHAL Liri Blues 2005

Stalled in his career, he decided to move to

Kauai, Hawaii Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

in 1981 and soon formed the Hula Blues Band. Originally just a group of guys getting together for fishing and a good time, the band soon began performing regularly and touring. He maintained a low public profile in Hawaii throughout most of the 1980s before recording ''Taj'' in 1988 for

Gramavision Gramavision Records is an American record label founded in 1979. Since 1994 it has been a subsidiary of Rykodisc. The label's music is largely jazz, blues and folk oriented but has touched on many other styles and genres. In 1979, Jonathan F.P. ...

. This started a comeback of sorts for him, recording both for Gramavision and

Hannibal Records Hannibal Records was a British record label and one of the first to work with the World music genre. Hannibal was started by Joe Boyd in 1980. Boyd had produced records by artists such as Nick Drake, The Incredible String Band and Fairport ...

during this time. In the 1990s Mahal became deeply involved in supporting the nonprofit Music Maker Relief Foundation. As of 2019, he was still on the Foundation's advisory board. In the 1990s he was on the

Private Music Private Music was an American independent record label founded in 1984 by musician Peter Baumann as a "home for instrumental music". Baumann signed Ravi Shankar, Yanni, Suzanne Ciani, Andy Summers, Patrick O'Hearn, Leo Kottke, and his former ...

label, releasing albums full of blues, pop, R&B and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

. He did collaborative works both with Eric Clapton and Etta James. In 1995 he recorded a record fusing traditional American blues with Indian stringed instruments, ''

Mumtaz Mahal Mumtaz Mahal (/'/; ), born Arjumand Banu Begum (27 April 1593 – 17 June 1631) was the empress consort of the Mughal Empire from 19 January 1628 to 17 June 1631 as the chief consort of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal in Agra, oft ...

'', accompanied by

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, professionally known as V. M. Bhatt (born 27 July 1950), is an Hindustani classical music instrumentalist who plays the Mohan veena ( slide guitar). Personal life Bhatt lives in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, with his wife and ...

on Mohan veena and

N. Ravikiran Narasimhan Ravikiran (born 12 February 1967) is an Indian slide instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, and orator, who created the concept of melharmony. He is the son of gottuvadhyam player Chitravina Narasimhan and the grandson of Narayan Iye ...

chitravina The chitravina ( sa, चित्रवीणा) (also known as chitra veena, chitraveena, chitra vina, hanumad vina, or mahanataka vina) is a 20 or 21-string fretless lute-style veena in Carnatic music. Around the late 19th and early 20th ce ...

, a fretless lute. In 1998, in collaboration with renowned songwriter David Forman, producer Rick Chertoff and musicians

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

Willie Nile Willie Nile (born Robert Noonan; June 7, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter. In 1980, Nile released his self-titled debut album. His early career was interrupted by various problems, but he eventually returned to recording and performing i ...

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

Rob Hyman Robert Andrew Hyman (born April 24, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard and accordion player, producer, arranger and recording studio owner, best known for being a founding member of the rock band The Hooters. Early life Hyman st ...

Garth Hudson Eric "Garth" Hudson (born August 2, 1937) is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for rock group the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He was a ...

and Levon Helm of the Band, and

the Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...

, he performed on the

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

album '' Largo'' based on the music of Antonín Dvořák. In 1997 he won

Best Contemporary Blues Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album was awarded from 1988 to 2011 and from 2017 onwards. Until 1992 the award was known as Best Contemporary Blues Performance and in 1989 was awarded to a song rather than to an album. The award was ...

for '' Señor Blues'' at the Grammy Awards, followed by another Grammy for ''Shoutin' in Key'' in 2000.
/ref> He performed the theme song to the children's television show ''

Peep and the Big Wide World ''Peep and the Big Wide World'' (''PATBWW'') is an animated children's television series created by Danish-Canadian animator Kaj Pindal. It revolves around the lives of Peep, Chirp, and Quack, as viewers discover, investigate, and explore the w ...

'', which began broadcast in 2004. In 2002, Mahal appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album ''

Red Hot and Riot ''Red Hot + Riot'' (a.k.a. ''Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti'') is the fourteenth in a series of music compilation projects produced by Paul Heck and John Carlin of the Red Hot Organization and Grammy-winning music producer ...

'' in tribute to Nigerian

afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...

musician Fela Kuti. The Paul Heck produced album was widely acclaimed, and all proceeds from the record were donated to AIDS charities. Taj Mahal contributed to Olmecha Supreme's 2006 album 'hedfoneresonance'. The

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

-based group led by Mahal's son Imon Starr ( Ahmen Mahal) also featured Deva Mahal on vocals. Mahal partnered up with

Keb' Mo' Kevin Roosevelt Moore (born October 3, 1951), known as Keb' Mo', is an American blues musician and five-time Grammy Award winner. He is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, living in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been described as "a living link ...

to release a joint album ''

TajMo ''TajMo'' is a joint album by the American blues musicians Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo'. It was released May 5, 2017, and won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. ''TajMo'' is the twenty-sixth studio album by Taj Mahal and the thirt ...

'' on May 5, 2017. The album has some guest appearances by Bonnie Raitt,

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

, Sheila E., and

Lizz Wright Elizabeth LaCharla Wright (born January 22, 1980) is an American jazz and gospel singer. Life and career Wright was born in the small town of Hahira, Georgia, one of three children and the daughter of a minister and the musical director of t ...

, and has six original compositions and five covers, from artists and bands like John Mayer and

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

. In 2013, Mahal appeared in the documentary film on

Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

founding member Gene Clark, 'The Byrd Who Flew Alone', produced by Four Suns Productions. Clark and Mahal had been friends for many years. In June 2017, Mahal appeared in the award-winning documentary film '' The American Epic Sessions,'' directed by Bernard MacMahon, recording Charley Patton's "

High Water Everywhere "High Water Everywhere" is a Delta blues song recorded in 1929 by noted blues singer Charley Patton. The song is about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and how it affected residents of the Mississippi Delta, particularly the mistreatment of A ...

" on the first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s. Mahal appeared throughout the accompanying documentary series ''

American Epic ''American Epic'' is a documentary media franchise based upon the first recordings of roots music in the United States during the 1920s and their cultural, social and technological impact on North America and the world. The franchise comprises a t ...

,'' commenting on the 1920s rural recording artists who had a profound influence on American music and on him personally.

Personal life

Mahal's first marriage was to Anna de Leon. He refers to Anna in the song "Texas Woman Blues" with the spoken words "Señorita de Leon, escucha mi canción." That marriage produced one daughter, the novelist and professor Aya de Leon. Taj Mahal married Inshirah Geter on January 23, 1976 and together they have six children. His daughter Deva Mahal appeared on one episode of Dating Around.

Musical style

Mahal leads with his thumb and middle finger when

fingerpicking Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with a single plectr ...

, rather than with his index finger as the majority of guitar players do. "I play with a flatpick," he says, "when I do a lot of blues leads." Early in his musical career Mahal studied the various styles of his favorite blues singers, including musicians like

Jimmy Reed Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with blues as well as non-blues audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), " ...

Son House Edward James "Son" House Jr. (March 21, 1902His date of birth is a matter of some debate. House alleged that he was middle-aged during World War I and that he was 79 in 1965, which would make his date of birth around 1886. However, all legal re ...

Sleepy John Estes John Adam Estes (January 25, 1899 or 1900June 5, 1977),
known as Sleepy John Estes, was an Am ...

, Big Mama Thornton, Howlin' Wolf,

Mississippi John Hurt John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He w ...

, and Sonny Terry. He describes his hanging out at clubs like

Club 47 Club Passim is an American folk music club in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was opened by Joyce Kalina (now Joyce Chopra, Chopra) and Paula Kelley in 1958, when it was known as Club 47 (based on its then address, 47 Moun ...

in Massachusetts and Ash Grove in Los Angeles as "basic building blocks in the development of his music." Considered to be a scholar of blues music, his studies of ethnomusicology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst would come to introduce him further to the folk music of the Caribbean and West Africa. Over time he incorporated more and more African roots music into his musical palette, embracing elements of reggae, calypso, jazz,

zydeco Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Al ...

, R&B, gospel music, and the

country blues Country blues (also folk blues, rural blues, backwoods blues, or downhome blues) is one of the earliest forms of blues music. The mainly solo vocal with acoustic fingerstyle guitar accompaniment developed in the rural Southern United States in t ...

—each of which having "served as the foundation of his unique sound." According to ''The Rough Guide to Rock'', "It has been said that Taj Mahal was one of the first major artists, if not the very first one, to pursue the possibilities of world music. Even the blues he was playing in the early 70s – '' Recycling The Blues & Other Related Stuff'' (1972), '' Mo' Roots'' (1974) – showed an aptitude for spicing the mix with flavours that always kept him a yard or so distant from being an out-and-out blues performer."Buckley, et al., 1050 Concerning his voice, author David Evans writes that Mahal has "an extraordinary voice that ranges from gruff and gritty to smooth and sultry." Taj Mahal (Musiker)

Taj Mahal believes that his 1999 album ''Kulanjan'', which features him playing with the kora master of

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

Griot A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. The griot is a repos ...

tradition

Toumani Diabaté Toumani Diabaté ( ; born 10 August 1965) is a Malian kora player. In addition to performing the traditional music of Mali, he has also been involved in cross-cultural collaborations with flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styles. ...

, "embodies his musical and cultural spirit arriving full circle." To him it was an experience that allowed him to reconnect with his African heritage, striking him with a sense of coming home. He even changed his name to Dadi Kouyate, the first

jali A ''jali'' or jaali (''jālī'', meaning "net") is the term for a perforated stone or latticed screen, usually with an ornamental pattern constructed through the use of calligraphy, geometry or natural patterns. This form of architectural d ...

name, to drive this point home. Speaking of the experience and demonstrating the breadth of his eclecticism, he has said: Taj Mahal has said he prefers to do outdoor performances, saying: "The music was designed for people to move, and it's a bit difficult after a while to have people sitting like they're watching television. That's why I like to play outdoor festivals-because people will just dance. Theatre audiences need to ask themselves: 'What the hell is going on? We're asking these musicians to come and perform and then we sit there and draw all the energy out of the air.' That's why after a while I need a rest. It's too much of a drain. Often I don't allow that. I just play to the goddess of music-and I know she's dancing." Mahal has been quoted as saying, "Eighty-one percent of the kids listening to rap were not black kids. Once there was a tremendous amount of money involved in it ... they totally moved it over to a material side. It just went off to a terrible direction. ...You can listen to my music from front to back, and you don't ever hear me moaning and crying about how bad you done treated me. I think that style of blues and that type of tone was something that happened as a result of many white people feeling very, very guilty about what went down."Tianen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Awards

Taj Mahal has received three

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s (ten nominations) over his career. *1997 (Grammy Award)

for '' Señor Blues'' *2000 (Grammy Award)

for ''Shoutin' in Key'' *2006 ( Blues Music Awards) Historical Album of the Year for ''The Essential Taj Mahal'' *2008 (Grammy Nomination)

for ''

Maestro Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning "master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and opera, in line with the ubiqu ...

'' *2018 (Grammy Award)

for ''TajMo'' On February 8, 2006 Taj Mahal was designated the official Blues Artist of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In March 2006, Taj Mahal, along with his sister, the late Carole Fredericks, received the Foreign Language Advocacy Award from the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in recognition of their commitment to shine a spotlight on the vast potential of music to foster genuine intercultural communication. On May 22, 2011, Taj Mahal received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Off ...

. He also made brief remarks and performed three songs. A video of the performance can be found online. In 2014, Taj Mahal received the Americana Music Association's Lifetime Achievement award.

Discography

Albums

* 1968 – ''

'' * 1968 – ''

The Natch'l Blues ''The Natch'l Blues'' is the second studio album by United States, American blues artist Taj Mahal (musician), Taj Mahal, released in 1968. Track listing All tracks composed by Taj Mahal, except where indicated: ;Side 1 # "Good Morning Miss Brown ...

'' * 1969 – '' Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home'' * 1971 – '' Happy Just to Be Like I Am'' * 1972 – '' Recycling The Blues & Other Related Stuff'' * 1972 – '' Sounder'' (original soundtrack) * 1973 – '' Oooh So Good 'n Blues'' * 1974 – '' Mo' Roots'' * 1975 – '' Music Keeps Me Together'' * 1976 – '' Satisfied 'n' Tickled Too'' * 1976 – '' Music Fuh Ya' (Musica Para Tu)'' * 1977 – ''

'' * 1977 – '' Evolution (The Most Recent)'' * 1987 – '' Taj'' * 1988 – ''

Shake Sugaree ''Shake Sugaree - Taj Mahal Sings and Plays for Children'' is a 1988 album by American blues artist Taj Mahal. The title comes from one of the tracks, and was itself the title track of a 1967 album by Elizabeth Cotten, recorded in February 19 ...

- Taj Mahal Sings and Plays for Children'' * 1991 – ''

Mule Bone ''Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life'' is a 1930 play (theatre), play by American authors Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. The process of writing the play led Hughes and Hurston, who had been close friends, to sever their relationship. ''Mu ...

'' * 1991 – '' Like Never Before'' * 1993 – '' Dancing the Blues'' * 1995 – ''

'' (with V.M. Bhatt and

) * 1996 – '' Phantom Blues'' * 1997 – '' Señor Blues'' * 1997 – '' Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues'' AKA ''

Sacred Island ''Sacred Island'' is an album by the American blues/world artist Taj Mahal and the Hawaiian music group the Hula Blues Band, released in 1998. The album peaked at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Blues Albums chart. Production "Coconut Man" is a rew ...

'' (1998; with The Hula Blues Band) * 1999 – ''

Kulanjan ''Kulanjan'' is a 1999 album by blues artist Taj Mahal and Malian kora-player Toumani Diabaté. Mahal had first visited Mali in 1979, and the title of the album comes from the track "Kulanjan" from the 1970 album of kora music, ''Ancient Strin ...

'' (with

) * 2001 – ''

Hanapepe Dream ''Hanapepe Dream'' is an album by American blues/world artist Taj Mahal and Hawaiian music group The Hula Blues Band. It is the second mutual recording for Taj and that band after ''Sacred Island'', aka ''Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues''. Track ...

'' (with The Hula Blues Band) * 2005 – '' Mkutano Meets the Culture Musical Club of Zanzibar'' * 2008 – ''

'' * 2012 – '' Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal'' CD1 unreleased 1969-1973 * 2014 – ''Talkin' Christmas'' (with The

Blind Boys of Alabama Blind may refer to: * The state of blindness, being unable to see * A window blind, a covering for a window Blind may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Blind'' (2007 film), a Dutch drama by Tamar van den Dop * ''Blind ...

) * 2016 – ''Labor of Love'' (recorded in 1998) * 2017 – ''

'' (with

)

Live albums

* 1971 – ''

The Real Thing The Real Thing or Real Thing may refer to: Film and television * The Real Thing (film), ''The Real Thing'' (film) or ''Livers Ain't Cheap'', a 1996 American film * ''The Real Thing'', a 1980 television documentary by James Burke (science historian) ...

'' * 1972 – '' Recycling The Blues & Other Related Stuff'' * 1972 – ''Big Sur Festival - One Hand Clapping'' * 1979 – '' Taj Mahal and The International Rhythm Band - Live & Direct'' * 1990 – '' Live at Ronnie Scott's'' AKA ''Big Blues'' * 1996 – '' An Evening of Acoustic Music'' * 2000 – ''Taj Mahal and The Phantom Blues Band Live -

Shoutin' in Key ''Shoutin' in Key'' is a live album by American blues artist Taj Mahal. Track listing # "Honky Tonk" ( Billy Butler, Bill Doggett, Clifford Scott, Shep Shepherd) – 6:19 # "EZ Rider" (Taj Mahal) – 3:20 # " Ain't That a Lot of Love" (Homer ...

'' * 2004 – ''Taj Mahal Trio - Live Catch'' * 2007 – ''World Blues'' (recorded in 1971; reissue with additional material on a 2019 LP) * 2012 – '' Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal'' CD2 Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1970 * 2015 – ''Taj Mahal & The Hula Blues Band: Live From Kauai'' * 2016 – ''Live In San Francisco 1966'' * 2020 - ''Taj Mahal Live - Live American Radio Broadcast'' AKA ''Johnny Too Bad - Live American Radio Broadcast'' AKA ''Taj Mahal - Ultrasonic Blues - The Full WLIR New York Broadcast 1974'' AKA ''Live at Ultrasonic Studios'' * 2020 - ''The Underground Pipeline - Gainesville, FL Broadcast 1978''

Compilation albums

* 1980 – '' Going Home'' * 1981 – '' The Best of Taj Mahal, Volume 1'' ( Columbia) * 1992 – ''

Taj's Blues ''Taj's Blues'' is a compilation album by American blues artist Taj Mahal. Track listing # "Leaving Trunk" (Sleepy John Estes) - 4:48 - from ''Taj Mahal'' (1968) # "Statesboro Blues" (Blind Willie McTell) - 2:56 - from ''Taj Mahal'' (1968) # ...

'' * 1993 – '' World Music'' * 1994 – ''Taj Mahal - The Rising Sun collection No. 3'' (reissued in 2004 as ''Sugar Mama Blues'') * 1998 – '' In Progress & In Motion: 1965-1998'' * 1999 – '' Blue Light Boogie'' * 2000 – '' The Best of Taj Mahal'' * 2000 – '' The Best of the Private Years'' * 2001 – '' Sing a Happy Song: The Warner Bros. Recordings'' * 2003 – ''

Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues – Taj Mahal ''Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues – Taj Mahal'' is an album by American blues artist Taj Mahal. Track listing # "Leaving Trunk" # " Dust My Broom" # "Corrina" # "Chevrolet" # "Going Up to the Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue" # "Statesboro Bl ...

'' * 2003 – '' Blues with a Feeling: The Very Best of Taj Mahal'' * 2005 – '' The Essential Taj Mahal'' * 2014 – ''Sweet Mama Red'' * 2019 – ''Taj Mahal - Ten songs for you''

Various artists featuring Taj Mahal

* 1968 – ''

'' * 1968 – '' The Rock Machine Turns You On'' * 1970 – ''Fill Your Head With Rock'' * 1985 – ''Conjure: Music for the Texts of Ishmael Reed'' * 1990 – ''

The Hot Spot ''The Hot Spot'' is a 1990 American neo-noir film directed by Dennis Hopper, based on the 1953 novel ''Hell Hath No Fury'' by Charles Williams, who also co-wrote the screenplay. It stars Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, and Jennifer Connelly, and f ...

'' – original soundtrack * 1991 – ''Vol Pour Sidney'' – one title only, other tracks by Charlie Watts,

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

, Pepsi, The Lonely Bears, Lee Konitz and others. * 1992 – ''Rising Sons featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder'' * 1992 – ''Smilin' Island of Song'' by Cedella Marley Booker and Taj Mahal. * 1993 – ''The Source'' by Ali Farka Touré (World Circuit WCD030; Hannibal 1375) * 1993 – ''Peace Is the World Smiling'' * 1997 – ''Follow the Drinking Gourd'' * 1997 – ''Shakin' a Tailfeather'' * 1998 – ''Scrapple'' – original soundtrack * 1998 – ''Largo'' * 1999 – ''Hippity Hop'' * 2001 – "Strut" – with Jimmy Smith on his album ''Dot Com Blues'' * 2002 – ''Jools Holland's Big Band Rhythm & Blues'' (

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

) – contributing his version of "Outskirts of Town" * 2002 – ''Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III'' – Lead vocals on Fishin' Blues, and lead in and first verse of the title track, with

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constant ...

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...

* 2004 – ''Musicmakers with Taj Mahal'' ( Music Maker 49) * 2004 – ''

Etta Baker Etta Baker (March 31, 1913 – September 23, 2006) was an American Piedmont blues guitarist and singer from North Carolina. Early life and career She was born Etta Lucille Reid in Caldwell County, North Carolina, of African-American, Native A ...

with Taj Mahal'' ( Music Maker 50) * 2007 – '' Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino'' (

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

) – contributing his version of "

My Girl Josephine "My Girl Josephine" is a song written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. Domino recorded the song on Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by ...

" * 2007 – '' Le Cœur d'un homme'' by

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

– duet on "T'Aimer si mal", written by French best-selling novelist

Marc Levy Marc Levy (born 16 October 1961) is a French novelist. Career Levy was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, and studied management and computers at Paris Dauphine University. In the late 1990s, Levy wrote a story that his sister, th ...

* 2009 – ''American Horizon'' – with Los Cenzontles,

David Hidalgo David Kent Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954, in Los Angeles.) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requ ...

* 2011 – ''Play The Blues Live From Lincoln Jazz Center'' – with

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

and Eric Clapton, playing on "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" and "

Corrine, Corrina "Corrine, Corrina" (sometimes "Corrina, Corrina") is a 12-bar country blues song in the AAB form. "Corrine, Corrina" was first recorded by Bo Carter ( Brunswick 7080, December 1928). However, it was not copyrighted until 1932 by Armenter "Bo Car ...

" * 2013 – "Poye 2" – with

Bassekou Kouyate Bassekou Kouyaté (born 1966) is a musician from Mali. His band is known as Ngoni ba. He was born into the Kouyate family in Garana, Barouéli Cercle, 60 kilometres from Ségou, in 1966.Frank Bessem's Musiques d'AfriqueBassekou Kouyate/ref> At th ...

and Ngoni Ba on their album '' Jama Ko'' * 2013 – "Winding Down" – with

Sammy Hagar Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo car ...

, Dave Zirbel, John Cuniberti, Mona Gnader, Vic Johnson on the album '' Sammy Hagar & Friends'' * 2013 – Divided & United: The Songs of the Civil War – with a version of "

Down by the Riverside "Down by the Riverside" (also known as "Ain't Gonna Study War No More" and "Gonna lay down my burden") is an African-American spiritual. Its roots date back to before the American Civil War, though it was first published in 1918 in ''Plantation ...

" * 2015 – "How Can a Poor Boy?" – with

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

on his album '' Re-working the Catalogue'' * 2017 – '' Music from The American Epic Sessions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' – contributing his version of "

" * 2022 – ''Get On Board'' – with '' Ry Cooder''

Filmography

Live DVDs * 2002 – ''Live at Ronnie Scott's 1988'' * 2006 – ''Taj Mahal/Phantom Blues Band Live at St. Lucia'' * 2011 – ''Play The Blues Live From Lincoln Jazz Center'' – with

and Eric Clapton, playing on "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" and "Corrine, Corrina" Movies * 1972 – '' Sounder'' as Ike Phillips * 1976 — '' Part 2, Sounder'' as Ike Phillips * 1977 — '' Scott Joplin'' as Poor Alfred * 1977 – ''

'' (composer) * 1987 — ''

The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains ''The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains'' is a 1987 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann and written by Michael Campus. The film stars Val Kilmer, Charles Durning, Sônia Braga, Kyra Sedgwick, James Keach, Elisha Cook, Jr. and Clancy Brown. The fi ...

'' as Bones * 1991 – '' Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'' as Gatekeeper * 1992 — '' Zebrahead'' (composer) * 1995 — '' Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored'' as Mr. Will * 1996 – ''

'' as Himself * 1998 – '' Outside Ozona'' as Dix Mayal * 1998 – ''

Six Days, Seven Nights ''Six Days, Seven Nights'' is a 1998 American action-adventure comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Harrison Ford and Anne Heche. The screenplay was written by Michael Browning. It was filmed on location in Kauai, and released on ...

'' as Entertainer * 2000 – ''

Songcatcher ''Songcatcher'' is a 2000 drama film directed by Maggie Greenwald. It is about a musicologist researching and collecting Appalachian folk music in the mountains of western North Carolina. Although ''Songcatcher'' is a fictional film, it is loosely ...

'' as Dexter Speaks * 2002 – ''

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood ''Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'' is a 1996 novel written by Rebecca Wells. It follows the novel '' Little Altars Everywhere''. In 2005, Wells wrote ''Ya-Yas in Bloom'' and then ''The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder''. ''Divine Secret ...

'' as Swing Band Singer * 2004 — '' Killer Diller'' as J.R. Cox * 2017 – ''

'' as Himself TV Shows * 1977 - ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' - Episode 048 Performer: Musical Guest * 1985 - Theme song from '' Star Wars: Ewoks'' * 1992 – ''

New WKRP in Cincinnati ''The New WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series that aired in first-run syndication from September 7, 1991, to May 22, 1993, as a sequel to the original CBS sitcom ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–82). As with the original ' ...

'' – ''Moss Dies'' as himself * 1995 - '' The Mask: Animated Series'' - Additional voices * 1996 - ''

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'' is an American animated television series developed by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on three young monsters—Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm—who attend a school for monsters under a city dump and learn to ...

'' - ''Monster Blues'' as Ellis Robinson * 1999 – ''

Party of Five ''Party of Five'' is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by ...

'' – ''Fillmore Street'' as himself * 2003 – ''

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

'' – ''Big Horns George'' as himself (voice) * 2004 – Theme song from ''

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

*
Taj Mahal's official website
*
Taj Mahal Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2016)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahal, Taj American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singers American blues pianists American male pianists American blues harmonica players African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers Contemporary blues musicians 1942 births Living people Grammy Award winners Slide guitarists Singers from New York City American people of Jamaican descent People from Harlem People from Topanga, California University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Natural Sciences alumni 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Private Music artists Guitarists from New York City 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers Ruf Records artists Gramavision Records artists African-American pianists 21st-century African-American male singers