Background
Amadou Traoré was born on March 8, 1944, in Ouahigouya, Yatenga, then a French territory.
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Amadou Balake
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During his career, which lasted over 50 years, Balaké recorded and performed in different parts of West Africa as well as New York and Paris. His music combined different traditions from his home country, primarily Dioula (Mandé) and Mossi, as well as Afro-Cuban music In 1952, his recently widowed mother moved to the capital, Ouagadougou, where he became interested in music
In 1962 he began his professional career, playing in different orchestras in Bamako, Abidjan, Kankan and Conakry throughout the decade.
He joined Ouagadougou-based band Harmonie Voltaïque and scored a hit with his song "Balaké" ("porcupine" in Mandinka), changing his name to Amadou Balaké. He then became the singer for the Super Volta orchestra, and in 1970 he formed the band Amadou Balaké and the 5 Consuls before recording his first album as a leader in the mid 1970s.
In 1979 Balaké travelled with Gambian singer Laba Sosseh to New York, where he recorded two albums: À New York and Afro-Charanga, the latter featuring pianist Alfredo Rodríguez. In the 1980s he travelled to Abidjan and Paris, where he continued performing.
In the year 2000, Balaké was invited by producer Ibrahima Sylla to join Senegalese salsa band Africando as a guest vocalist in their album Mandali.
Balaké died on August 27, 2014 in Ouagadougou. His last album, recorded in 2013, was released posthumously by Sterns Music in 2015.
Membership
In the early 21st century, he was a member of Senegalese salsa band Africando. He later became an official member of the band, performing in subsequent albums.
