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Article: Taj Mahal celebrates 40 years of music with new CD, 'Maestro"
- Article from:
- Oakland Tribune
- Article date:
- December 12, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 Oakland Tribune. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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of performing," remarks Taj Mahal, shaking his head. "I say, 'No,
sweetie, add another 20 years to that.'"
Actually, it's more like 55 years, but his point is still valid.
He didn't become a star until 1968, when he released the now-
seminal recordings "Taj Mahal" and "Natch'l Blues," but his musical
odyssey began long before that.
He was born May 17, 1942 in Harlem and raised in Springfield,
Mass. His mother sang in gospel choirs and his father was a jazz
pianist and arranger whom Ella Fitzgerald reportedly once nicknamed
"The Genius." Music was a big part of daily life in the Fredericks
household, and Taj Mahal was exposed to a huge range of genres and
styles at an early age. The ...