http://www.Globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/ World Music Legends on Globalrhythm.net en-us Copyright 2013, Globalrhythm.net. All Rights Reserved info@ecomsolutions.net info@ecomsolutions.net http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/OfraHaza.cfm She was a fantastic performer on stage. That warmth and that energy and that beauty came through fully. -Jonathan More Bill Murphy http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/TootsHibbert.cfm Fusing the sounds of soul, gospel, funk, rock, and ska into a reggae framework, Toots And The Maytals first recorded at Studio One in the early 60s with the Skatalites as their backing band. Since then, Toots Hibbert has remained a galvanizing live performer who never rests on his laurels. Matt Scheiner http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/BuenaVistaSocialClub1.cfm It took a series of happy accidents to reignite the careers of some of Cuba s oldest recording stars, but once the fuse was lit, Buena Vista Social Club somehow became the statement of a generation. Bill Murphy http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/SteveBarrow.cfm Reggae has left such an indelible impression on Blood and Fire Records’ A&ampR pro Steve Barrow that not only can the passionate 60-year-old remember the first time he heard the music but the first reggae single he ever purchased—and for a man with 22,000 7-inch singles, that’s no easy feat. Matt Scheiner http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/PacodeLucia.cfm Hailed by critics and peers as the greatest living flamenco guitarist, Paco de Lucía’s name elicits reverence among musicians and guitar fans from nearly every musical genre. Robert Kaye http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/MickeyHart.cfm As the Rhythm Devils prepared to hit the road with guitarist Steve Kimock, Phish bassist Mike Gordon and others, Hart reminisced about when foreign rhythms first cast their spell on him. Wes Orshoski http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/RyCooder.cfm Ry Cooder will forever be remembered for his production and guitar playing on the Buena Vista Social Club album and Ali Farka Touré’s Talking Timbuktu. Tad Hendrickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/MavisStaples.cfm Few people embody the feminist adage “the personal is political” more than Mavis Staples. Chris Heim http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/BeboValds.cfm In 88 years, Valdés has gone from house bandleader and innovator to expat lounge player to a Grammy-winning elder statesman. Lissette Corsa http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/PeteSeeger.cfm He’s 87 now, but Pete Seeger remains as relevant as ever. The folk music icon enjoyed renewed visibility in 2006 as the inspiration for Bruce Springsteen’s We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions . Jim Bessman http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/SteelPulse.cfm Few and far between are the bands named for race horses, especially bands that have won Grammy awards and created political stirs with their music. But Steel Pulse has never run with the pack. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/UmmKulthum11.cfm When she died in 1975, four million people lined the streets of Cairo for her funeral. Her name was Umm Kulthum, and she was the greatest Arabic singer of the 20th Century. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/LordKitchener.cfm Some people think of calypso as a light musical form. In Trinidad , however, it’s serious business, especially at Carnival time. It’s a musical style that boasts its own great names, and they don’t come any bigger than Lord Kitchener. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/Franco11.cfm The nickname “Sorcerer of the Guitar” fits Franco like a glove. His imaginative, lightning-fast fretwork helped shape Congolese rumba into its recognizable form. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/RayBarretto.cfm Few musicians can boast a career as varied, lengthy and influential as Ray Barretto. Tom Pryor http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/RubnBlades.cfm Rubén Blades has expanded a musical genre, acted, gained an advanced degree in international law, and run for the presidency of his homeland. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/YoussouNDour.cfm Youssou N’Dour’s journey began in 1959, in Dakar, Senegal. He ultimately evolved into one of the most gifted and beloved innovators of African music. Dan Rosenberg http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/VicenteFernandez.cfm Though his shoe-polish mustache and UFO-sized sombrero may seem risible, Vicente Fernandez’s voice is no joke. It’s a near operatic instrument. Mark Schwartz http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/TitoPuente.cfm For many, the late great timbalero, composer and bandleader Tito Puente was the public face of Latin music in America. Like Count Basie or Duke Ellington, he was more than a musician, he was a personality, a brand unto himself. Eliseo Cardona http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/ThomasMapfumo.cfm Thomas Mapfumo has not only combined music and politics throughout his career, he’s lived music and politics. He’s still Zimbabwe’s biggest-selling musician. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/TheChieftains.cfm The Chieftains are Paddy Moloney’s vision: music that moves the heart as much as the feet, music with integrity and passion, without boundary or limitation. Rob Huffman http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/TheSkatalites.cfm It’s quite possible that no band that existed for a mere 18 months has had as much influence as the Skatalites. In some ways, the Skatalites are as much an idea as an entity, and certainly the instrumental high point of ska. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/SergeGainsbourg.cfm The legacy Serge Gainsbourg left has continued to grow. He put an iconoclastic, intellectual side into French music, spicing up a stew that was generally bland. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/AstorPiazzolla.cfm Few artists are as intimately associated with Argentine tango as Astor Piazzolla. He did more than anyone to keep the tango alive and evolving as an artform in the later half of the twentieth century. Tom Pryor http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/PacodeLuca.cfm You can argue long and hard about the origins of the word flamenco. But the greatest contemporary figure in the music, and certainly the best-known internationally, is the virtuoso guitarist Paco de Lucía. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/RCarlosNakai.cfm Like many of his peers, R. Carlos Nakai holds a deep respect for the venerable Native flute tradition but doesn’t so much aim to preserve it as pay homage to it. His music is at once reverent of the past and defiant of it. Jeff Tamarkin http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/OrchestraBaobab.cfm Senegal’s Orchestra Baobab—formed in 1970 and officially disbanded in 1987—now rides again, with most of its key players in place. The “new” Baobab debuted dramatically in London in May 2001, and by year’s end, the musicians had recorded their first new album in more than 20 years. Banning Eyre http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/ManuDibango.cfm For over 30 years Manu Dibango has been one of the giants of world music. Long before it had a name, this Cameroonian s music has sounded as powerful and appealing in America as it does in Europe or Africa. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/LordKitchner.cfm Some people think of calypso as a light musical form. In Trinidad, however, it’s serious business, especially at Carnival time. And they don’t come any bigger than Lord Kitchener. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/KingSunnyAd.cfm It’s all about the juju. And if there’s one person who’s made juju music known internationally, it’s King Sunny Adé. Once the heir to the world music mantle of Bob Marley, he’s perhaps Nigeria’s most important export after its oil. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/HarryBelafonte.cfm Harry Belafonte represents the folk singer as superstar, a cultural icon whose 1956 album, Calypso, topped the charts for a remarkable 31 weeks at the peak of the Eisenhower administration. Howard Mandel http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/Googoosh.cfm Between 1970 and 1979, Googoosh was Iran’s top pop star. Then came the Islamic Revolution, which forbade music. Suddenly, Googoosh was almost a prisoner in her own apartment. j. poet http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/GilbertoGil.cfm Looking back on a career that began in the mid-’60s, Gilberto Gil is still very much at the top of his game. Once a prime mover of Brazil s Tropicalia movement, today Gil not only continues to make music, but plays an active role in government. Don Heckman http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/CheikhaRemitti.cfm If Algerian raï has a mother, her name is Cheikha Remitti. Now in her 80s and still performing she’s been a part of the music since it took on its colors, a guiding and frequently outrageous force who’s helped shape raï into what it is today. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/ChavelaVargas.cfm Chavela Vargas was one of the greatest female ranchera singers ever to emerge from Mexico—even if she isn’t actually Mexican. She sold out Carnegie Hall in a special appearance and her incredible story is one that s truly epic in scope. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/CaetanoVeloso.cfm Brazil’s Caetano Veloso endured prison, then exile, and then rebounded to become a cultural hero. He’s gone on to become one of the most revered songwriters and performers in a nation known for its music. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/BurningSpear.cfm After Bob Marley, Burning Spear has done more than anyone to keep both authentic roots reggae and Marcus Garvey’s teachings alive in the 21st century. At 56, Winston Rodney shows no signs of slowing down. Tom Pryor http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/BuenaVistaSocialClub.cfm No one ever expected a tidal wave of mainstream interest in a musical idiom that doesn’t get much airplay on Spanish- or English-language radio. But that was before Buena Vista Social Club broke through to the pop chart. Chiori Santiago http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/BobMarley.cfm There’s no denying that Bob Marley remains the best-known name in reggae, even more than 20 years after his death. His revolutionary stance and spirit is what helped make him such an icon. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/AshaBhosleandLataMangeshkar.cfm With more than 20,000 songs recorded in over a dozen languages, Asha Bhosle is the world’s most recorded artist—and Mangeshkar follows close behind. But these two singers’ careers are far more intertwined than their comparable artistic and commercial successes would suggest: they are sisters. Anastasia Tsioulcas http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/AlanLomax.cfm When Alan Lomax died at age 87, he left behind a musical legacy most people can only dream about, even if he made none of the music himself. A musicologist, he let us hear America and the globe, capturing traditions in a world that was changing as rapidly as the eye could blink. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/FatsDomino.cfm Fats Domino defined the sound of nascent New Orleans R&B and in the process helped usher in the era of rock n roll during the 1950s. Steve Roeser http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/SenRiada.cfm It was the late Seán Ó Riada who took traditional Irish music, largely inaccessible outside of the isles, and turned it into something new. His innovative approach to folk music in the 1950s paved the way for modern interpreters such as the Chieftains. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/CeliaCruz.cfm Everyone has a story to tell about Celia Cruz, the Cuban singer whose contagious voice and larger-than-life persona helped turn Afro-Cuban music into an international phenomenon. Eliseo Cardona http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/CsariaEvora.cfm Cesaria Evora s art is a personal distillation of a wealth of elements, and the highest expression of the sensibility of the Cape Verdean people. In her voice we hear blues, Brazilian pop, Portuguese fado, French chanson and Cuban habanera. Morton Marks http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/Franco.cfm Franco has been likened to Shakespeare, Mozart and Pelé, and described as a human god. Yet this truly legendary bandleader, who was beloved by millions and respected by heads of state, remains little-known outside Africa. Al Angeloro http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/RaviShankar.cfm Although the word guru is often attached to Shankar, ambassador is an equally valid descriptive. For more than four decades, Shankar and his sitar have represented the sound of India to the world. Jeff Tamarkin http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/UmmKulthum.cfm Umm Kulthum was the greatest Arabic singer of the 20th Century. When she died in 1975, four million people lined the streets of Cairo for her funeral. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/FelaKuti.cfm The late, great Nigerian bandleader Fela Kuti was one of the most dynamic, original and uncompromising musicians to emerge from the great post-colonial African pop explosion in the 1960s and ’70s. Tom Pryor http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/MiriamMakeba.cfm The end of apartheid in South Africa allowed those who’d been forced to flee to come home. Miriam Makeba, the country’s jewel of a singer who’d left her homeland in 1960, returned as both a musical and political icon. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/AmliaRodrigues.cfm Amália Rodrigues brought distinction to the Portuguese fado style, taking it from the back streets of Lisbon to concert halls around the world. Chris Nickson http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/NusratFatehAliKhan.cfm The late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan not only transcended time, but also language and religion. There was magic when he opened his mouth, a sense of holy ecstasy that was exciting and emotional. Chris Nickson