American blues musician Taj Mahal, was born Henry Fredericks in New York in 1942. His music is a mix of blues, Caribbean styles, bluegrass and the music of Hawaii, where he lived for a number of years.
He formed Rising Stars with fellow bluesman Ry Cooder, playing at Whisky a Go Go, which gave him the opportunity to play with blues legends, amongst them Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy. The Rising Stars only recorded one album (not released by Columbia Records until 25 years later) before Mahal went off to pursue his own career. After a couple of albums, and an appearance on the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, he secured his reputation with the Giant Step album in 1969. Mahal would go on to collaborate with artists from all corners of the musical world including Ali Farka Touré, Toumani Diabaté and V. M. Bhatt.
He received many award nominations for his work, but it was his later releases Señor Blues and Shoutin' in Key which earned him the Grammys for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
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