Acclaimed for both his preservation and modernization of the musical traditions of West Africas Mandinka culture, Mory Kante was born in Kissidougou, Guinea in 1951; the product of a family of griots (musicians who serve not merely as entertainers but also as tribal historians), at age seven he was sent to Mali to learn tribal lore as well as the kora, the West African harp. At 15, Kante relocated to Bamako and joined the Rail Band, then Malis most popular group; he remained with the band for seven years, until his rivalry with lead singer Salif Keita ultimately forced Kante to quit and join the Ambassadeurs。