- Album list
- Singer Intro
Tinariwen (Tamasheq: ⵜⵏⵔⵓⵏ, with vowels ⵜⵉⵏⴰⵔⵉⵓⴻⵏ, pronounced tinariwen 'deserts', plural of ténéré 'desert') is a Grammy Award-winning group of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara Desert region of northern Mali. The band was formed in 1979 in Tamanrasset, Algeria, but returned to Mali after a cease-fire in the 1990s. The group first started to gain a following outside the Sahara region in 2001 with the release of The Radio Tisdas Sessions, and with performances at Festival au Désert in Mali and the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. Their popularity rose internationally with the release of the critically acclaimed Aman Iman in 2007. NPR calls the group 'music's true rebels,' AllMusic deems the group's music 'a grassroots voice of rebellion,' and Slate calls the group 'rock 'n' roll rebels whose rebellion, for once, wasn't just metaphorical.'
Band members
Tinariwen has always been a collective of singers, songwriters, and musicians who come together in different combinations to play concerts and to record. This is because of the nomadic lifestyle of the Tuareg people and the difficulties of transportation and communication in the Sahara region. The group has never brought exactly the same line-up on its international tours, though several members tour regularly.
Unfortunately, two influential members of Tinariwen are no longer living - founder Inteyeden Ag Ablil (brother of guitarist Liya Ag Ablil) died of a virus in the desert in 1994, and singer Wonou Walet Oumar (sister of former lead vocalist Mina Walet Oumar; not directly related to another former member, Wonou Walet Sidati) died of a kidney infection in 2005. Both remain with the band in spirit.
Active touring members
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib – lead guitar, vocals
Alhassane Ag Touhami – guitar, vocals
Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni – acoustic guitar, vocals
Eyadou Ag Leche – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, calabash, vocals, backing vocals
Said Ag Ayad – percussion, backing vocals
Elaga Ag Hamid – guitar, backing vocals
Abdallah Ag Lamida ('Intidao') – guitar, backing vocals
Mohammed Ag Tahada – percussion
Yad Abderrahmane – guitar, vocals
Non-touring and previous members
Inteyeden Ag Ablil (deceased) – guitar, vocals
Mohammed Ag Itlale (aka 'Japonais') – guitar, vocals
Keddou Ag Ossad – guitar, vocals
Liya Ag Ablil – rhythm guitar, vocals
Sweiloum – guitar, vocals
Foy Foy – guitar, vocals
Abouhadid – guitar, vocals
Wonou Walet Sidati – vocals
Kesa Ag Hamid – vocals
Mina Walet Oumar – vocals
Wonou Walet Oumar (deceased) – vocals
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