THE BLIND COUPLE FROM MALI.

MARIAM and  AMADOU 

1975-6: met and fell in love at the Institute for Young Blind.

MARIAM
° Born April 15th 1958.
° Learnt songs from radio as young girl.
° Lost sight at the age of five.
° Support from mother and father made her confident.
° 1973 aged 15 went to Institute for Young Blind, Bamako.

AMADOU
° Born October 24th 1954.
° Learnt drums aged 3, learned harmonica and walk flute by age of 10.
° Wanted to be a top class guitar player.
° Listen to African, Cuban and European music, taught himself to play it.
° 1968: joined Mali National Orchestra. Travelled in Africa and France with group called Les Ambassadeurs du Hotel. ° Want blind at teenager - 1975 went to Institute for the Young Blind.

MARRIAGE
° 1980: got married after forming a musical duo then began to perform together throughout Mali. 

WORK ON BEHALF OF BLIND PEOPLE 
° 1981: Amadou worked for Malian Association for the Promotion of the Blind.

CDs
° 1998: Night and Day.
° 1999: Man and Woman.
° 2002: Wati.
° 2004: Sunday in Bamako.

TRIP's
Africa
° 1985: Mariam and Amadou toured Burkina Faso together.
° 1985: Went to Ivory Coast because recording facilities were better there.
° 1986/7: Began to work with Nigerian producer Maikano in Abidjan.
° 1988: Released cassette called Volume 1 and Volume 2, extremely popular in Africa.
° 1989: Played in concert in Abidjan with Stevie Wonder and other stars.
° February 1990, with their producer Maikano recorded their follow-up cassette albums, Volume 3 and Volume 4.
° 2003: Toured Mali.
° 2004: Mali; Festival in the Desert.