The newest addition to the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival lineup is considered one of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th Century blues and roots music.
Although Taj Mahal’s career began more than four decades ago with American blues, this two-time Grammy-winning, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist has broadened his artistic scope to include music from virtually every corner of the world. He is described as having “an extraordinary voice that ranges from gruff and gritty to smooth and sultry,” and has an insatiable interest in musical discovery. That passion and curiosity have led him around the world and resulted in a perspective and sound that is truly his own.
Born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks in Harlem, New York he was raised in a musical environment by a mother who was a member of a local gospel choir and a father who was a jazz arranger and piano player. He was exposed to many forms of music as their home was often visited by other musicians from the Caribbean, Africa and the United States.
As a child, Mahal was encouraged to develop his musical interest and he studied classical piano, clarinet, trombone and harmonica. In 1964, he moved to California and formed his first band, The Rising Sons, with fellow blues musician Ry Cooder and Jessie Lee Kincaid. They landed a record deal with Columbia Records soon after.
The group was one of the first interracial bands of the period, which likely made them commercially non-viable. They released a single but never an album. During this time Mahal was also working with other musicians including Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Muddy Waters. He began his solo career, releasing the self-titled Taj Mahal in 1968, The Natch’l Blues in 1969 and Giant Step/De Old Folks at Home, also in 1969. During this time he and Cooder also worked with the The Rolling Stones, whom Mahal has performed with at various times throughout his career. He also performed in the film The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus.
Mahal recorded a total of 12 albums from the late ’60s into the ’70s. His work was important in that his releases began incorporating West Indian and Caribbean music, jazz and reggae into the mix. Early albums showed signs of the musical exploration that would be Mahal’s hallmark over the years to come.
In the 1970s, he carved out a unique musical niche with a string of adventurous recordings, including the Grammy-nominated soundtrack to the movie Sounder. He returned to a full recording and touring schedule in the 1990s. Later in the decade, Dancing the Blues (1993), Phantom Blues (1996), An Evening of Acoustic Music and the Grammy-winning Señor Blues were commercial and critical successes. In 2000, Mahal released a second Grammy-winning album, Shoutin’ in Key, and recorded a second album with the Hula Blues, Hanapepe Dream, in 2003.
In 2008 he had the worldwide release of Maestro: Celebrating 40 Years, a 12-track set marking the 40th anniversary of Mahal’s rich and varied recording career. It features performances by Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Angelique Kidjo, Los Lobos and others – many of whom have been directly influenced by Mahal’s music and guidance.
“The one thing I’ve always demanded of the records I’ve made is that they be danceable,” he says. “This record is danceable, it’s listenable, it has lots of different rhythms… It’s a lot of fun, and it represents where I am at this particular moment in my life. This record is just the beginning of another chapter, one that’s going to be open to more music and more ideas. Even at the end of 40 years, in many ways my music is just getting started.”
Mahal 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.”
The 19th annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival runs Aug. 19 to 21. Visit www.rootsandblues.ca for information on other performers or to buy tickets at earlybird prices ($120 until May 27). Tickets are also available at 250-833-4096 or at the office located at 490 5th Ave SW.
