M'Bady Kouyaté was born in 1934 in Koundara (Republic of Guinea). His ancestors were originally from the Kingdom of Gabú (Guinea-Bissau). In early childhood his parents started him off learning songs and playing instruments. From the immense Manding empire, created in the 12th century by Sundjata Keita, the great musical culture was handed down from generation to generation by the griots or djelis. They are the "holders and the conservers" of the oral tradition — masters of words — storytellers, poets etc…
M'Bady Kouyaté, a descendant of this dynasty of griots, is the artistic director of the prestigious Ensemble Symphonique Traditionnel National de la République de Guinée (National Traditional Symphonic Ensemble of the Republic of Guinea) — founded in 1960 by El Hadj Sidikiba Diabaté, an African musicologist.
M'Bady is considered one of the very best players of the kora, a magical Manding instrument made from a calabash and 21 pinched strings. A pacifier, a counselor, a conductor, he is an ambassador of the great tradition.
