Description

From the beginning, singer/guitarist Taj Mahal had an interest in/gift for rural blues, and has since embraced everything from electric and psychedelic-tinged blues to reggae and calypso. A tireless performer, he's recorded in many settings, with his honest and impassioned singing providing the common thread through it all. He was a member of '60s band the Rising Sons (which also included Ry Cooder) before embarking on a successful solo career that spanned several decades.

Biography

b. Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, 17 May 1940, New York City, New York, USA. The son of a West Indian jazz arranger, Taj Mahal developed his early interest in black music by studying its origins while at the University of Massachusetts. After graduating with a BA in Agriculture, he began performing in Boston clubs, before moving to the west coast in 1965. The artist was a founder-member of the legendary Rising Sons, a respected folk rock group that also included guitarist Ry Cooder and Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy. Mahal resumed his solo career when the band's projected debut album was shelved. His first solo album, Taj Mahal, released in 1968, was a powerful, yet intimate, compendium of electrified country blues that introduced an early backing band of Jesse "Ed" Davis (guitar), Gary Gilmore (bass) and Chuck Blakwell (drums). A second album, The Natch'l Blues, offered similarly excellent fare while extending his palette to include interpretations of two soul songs. This early period reached its apogee with Giant Step/De Ole Folks At Home, a double album comprising a traditional-styled acoustic album and a vibrant rock selection. Following this album, Mahal continued to broaden his remarkable canvas. The Real Thing, recorded in-concert, featured support from a tuba section. The singer's exploration of ethnic styles resulted in the African-American persuasion of Happy Just To Be Like I Am and the West Indian influence of Mo' Roots.
Mahal has maintained his chameleon-like quality over a succession of cultured releases during the subsequent decades. He has also branched out into composing movie and television scores, and has recorded albums of children's music. He remains a popular live attraction, performing with a fluctuating backing group, known initially as the Intergalactic Soul Messengers, then later as the International Rhythm Band. In the 90s Mahal's music veered more closely towards soul and R&B. His interpretations of Doc Pomus' "Lonely Avenue" and the Dave Bartholomew/Fats Domino classic "Let The Four Winds Blow" were particularly noteworthy on Phantom Blues, as was the work of session men Jon Cleary (piano) and Mick Weaver (organ).
DISCOGRAPHY: Taj Mahal (Columbia 1968)****, The Natch'l Blues (Columbia 1968)****, Giant Step/De Ole Folks At Home (Columbia 1969)****, The Real Thing (Columbia 1971)***, Happy Just To Be Like I Am (Columbia 1971)**, Recycling The Blues & Other Related Stuff (Columbia 1972)***, Sounder film soundtrack (Columbia 1972)***, Oooh So Good 'N Blues (Columbia 1973)***, Mo' Roots (Columbia 1974)***, Music Keeps Me Together (Columbia 1975)**, Satisfied 'N Tickled Too (Columbia 1976)**, Music Fuh Ya (Warners 1977)**, Brothers film soundtrack (Warners 1977)**, Evolution (The Most Recent) (Warners 1977)**, Take A Giant Step (Magnet 1983)***, Taj (Sonet 1986)***, with the International Rhythm Band Live & Direct (Teldec 1987)***, Shake Sugaree: Taj Mahal Plays And Sings For Children (Music For Little Children 1988)***, The Hot Spot film soundtrack (Antilles 1990)***, Big Blues: Taj Mahal Live At Ronnie Scott's London (Essential 1990)***, with Danny Glover Brer Rabbit And The Wonderful Tar Baby (Windham Hill 1991)****, Mule Bone soundtrack (Gramavision 1991)***, Like Never Before (Private Music 1991)***, with Cedella Marley-Booker Smilin' Island Of Song: Reggae & Calypso Music For Children (Music For Little People 1993)***, Dancing The Blues (Private Music/BMG 1994)***, An Evening Of Acoustic Music (Tradition & Moderne/Topic 1995)***, Phantom Blues (Private 1996)****, with V.M. Bhatt, N. Ravikiran Mumtaz Mahal (Water Lily Acoustics 1996)****, An Evening Of Acoustic Music (Ruf 1997)***, Señor Blues (Private Music/BMG 1997)***, with the Hula Blues Band Sacred Island (Tradition & Moderne 1998)***, with Toumani Diabaté Kulanjan (Hannibal 1999)****, Shoutin' In Key (Hannibal 2000)***, Live At Ronnie Scott's (Castle 2001)***, Hanapepe Dream (Tone-Cool 2003)****.
COMPILATIONS: Going Home (Columbia 1980)****, The Best Of Taj Mahal (Sony 1981)****, The Taj Mahal Collection (Castle 1987)***, Taj's Blues (Columbia/Legacy 1992)***, World Music (Columbia/Legacy 1993)***, The Very Best Of Taj Mahal (Global 1998)****, In Progress & In Motion 1965-1998 3-CD box set (Columbia/Legacy 1998)****.
VIDEOGRAPHY: At Ronnie Scott's 1988 (Hendring Music Video 1989).
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Taj Mahal: Autobiography Of A Bluesman, Taj Mahal with Stephen Foehr. The Unbroken Circle: Tradition And Innovation In The Music Of Ry Cooder And Taj Mahal, Fred Metting.

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