Amadou & Mariam and the Blind Boys of Alabama

Malian duo Amadou & Mariam will be performing with Grammy award-winning the Blind Boys of Alabama exclusively at Brighton Festival in May ahead of their London date.

Amadou & Mariam made a name for themselves playing Malian blues. They have released a string of acclaimed albums, working with producers such as Manu Chao and Damon Albarn to create joyous music that inspires live shows, festival stages and wild remixes.

Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia met at the Bamako Institute for the Young Blind, bonding over their love for music. They married and began to play together in the early 1980s while Amadou continued a successful solo career and ran the Institute for the Young Blind‘s music programme. The couple have worked with renowned contemporary artists including Coldplay, Santigold, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and U2.

It was on a festival bill that they first met the Blind Boys of Alabama and their friendship has led to a worldwide tour together. The Blind Boys are known for their remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favourites to contemporary spiritual material by songwriters such as Eric Clapton, Prince and Tom Waits.

The "gospel titans" started out together as children in the 1930s and have gone on to win five Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and perform at the White House for three different presidents.

Their performance at Brighton Dome Concert Hall brings the two groups together in a collaborative celebration of world music ahead of their Royal Festival Hall date in London.

Established in 1967, Brighton Festival is the largest and most established annual curated multi-arts festival in England and runs from 2 to 24 May 2020. Full programme details will be announced at the Brighton Festival 2020 launch on Tuesday 11 February 2020 and online.