Mamady Keïta (surname sometimes also spelled Keita; b. Balandougou, Siguiri Prefecture, Kankan Region, Guinea, August 1950) is a master drummer from the West African nation of Guinea. He specializes in the goblet-shaped hand drum called djembe. He is also the founder of the Tam Tam Mandingue school of drumming. He is a member of the Manding ethnic group. Keïta was born in the small village of Balandougou, Guinea, in the northeastern prefecture of Siguiri, near the border of Mali. His initiation to the djembe started at the early age of seven, under Karinkadjan Kondé, elder master djembefola of Balandugu, who initiated him to the secrets of the djembe. Keïta was educated in the traditions of his village, learning the history and music of the Malinke people. At the age of twelve, he became a member of the first regional federal ballet of Siguiri after Balanka Sidiki, a recruiter for the group, came to Balandugu looking for performers. At the time, Guinea was governed by Sékou Touré, who put special emphasis on Guinean culture through live performances and a system of local, regional, and national competitions that recruited the greatest artists of the land. During the National Festival in 1964, Keïta, then aged fourteen, along with fifty other percussionists and numerous other artists, was selected by Guinea's Minister of Culture to form Le Ballet National Djoliba (The Djoliba National Ballet), which was intended to serve as a showcase for Touré's revolution in Guinea. After nine months of training, he was one of only five percussionists retained. In 1964, Keïta left Balandugu to become a member of the Djoliba Ballet, in which he served as lead drummer and soloist until 1979. The group practiced in a special stage constructed for this purpose at the residence of Sékou Touré. In 1979, Keïta became the artistic director of the troupe, a position he held until 1986. During his time, he went on numerous tours throughout the world, performing in West, Central, and East Africa, China, Egypt, Germany, Scandinavia, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, Australia, and the Soviet Union. In 1986, wishing to leave the cocoon formed by the ballet and become a more independent musician, Keïta joined Souleymane Koli's troupe, Koteba, in Abidjan, and he stayed with it for a year and a half. In 1991, Keïta decided it was time to go his own way and he established his own percussion school which he called Tam Tam Mandingue, literally "drums of the Manding." The school rapidly acquired international renown and opened branches in all over the world.[1] In 2008 he became the patron of Sewa Beats, a company that specializes in corporate learning through rhythm and music. Keïta resides in San Diego, California, United States, with his wife Monette Marino-Keïta. Discography 1989 - Wassolon 1992 - Nankama 1995 - Mögöbalu 1996 - Hamanah 1998 - Afö 2000 - Balandugu Kan 2001 - Mamady Lèè 2002 - A Giatè 2004 - Djembe Master 2004 - Sila Laka 2005 - Live @ Couleur Café 2007 - Mandeng Djara 2010 - Hakili Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.