1942 (born Henry Saint Claire Fredericks)
Main Guitar: Steel Dobro
A self-taught musician, Taj plays over 20 instruments, including the National Steel and Dobro guitars. His remarkable voice ranges from gruff and gravelly to smooth and sultry. His music is a well-seasoned gumbo, spiced with influences that originate in the Caribbean, West Africa, the southern states, and the inner-cities of America.
The oldest of nine children, Taj Mahal was born May 17th 1942 in New York. He grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts, in a home filled with music. His mother was a gospel-singing school teacher, and his father a Jamaican composer/arranger and avid jazz fan. As an adolescent, Taj explored the roots of American blues and other forms of music filtered through the black experience in America. He idolized such pioneers as Jimmy Reed, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Big Mama Thornton, Sleepy John Estes, Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, and Sonny Terry.
Taj Mahal emerged during the folk music revival of the early 1960's. He established himself as an artist who knew no boundaries. Along the way, he played a pivotal role in the mid-'60s blues revival and went on to make his mark in the worlds of rock, soul, world, contemporary blues and even soundtracks. Always looking forward with a respect for the past, Taj Mahal has made a career of searching out and exploring new musical territories.
From 1961 to 1963, he had an R&B band called Taj Mahal & the Elektras. He was performing in Boston coffeehouses and college
mixers. After earning his degree in agriculture and animal husbandry from the University of Massachusetts in 1964, he became the co-founder with guitarist Ry Cooder of The Rising Sons. This led to a recording contract for Taj, who quickly rose to prominence with his first solo albums, Taj Mahal (1968), The Natch'l Blues (1968), and Giant Step (1969).
Over subsequent years, Taj toured, recorded and/or performed with other great artists, including Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, B.B.King, John Lee Hooker, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and the Rolling Stones. In 1968, Taj was a featured guest in the Rolling Stones' Rock And Roll Circus. This remarkable event was released on video and record for the first time after an almost 30-year wait. It showcases what was the cream of the music community including John Lennon, George Harrison, Jethro Tull, The Who, and Marianne Faithfull.
During all this time, Taj Mahal has delighted us with his effortless and eclectic blending of musical styles. He is a master of finger-picked country blues, bluegrass banjo, slide guitar, southern blues, soul, R&B, reggae, Hawaiian, and Caribbean guitar. His influences and abilities are seemingly endless and his energy to share and perform is equally as deep.
In addition to his regular work, Taj has acted in films and composed motion picture scores. Among the esteemed titles he has been associated with are Phenomenon, The Mighty Quinn, Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored, Sounder I and II, The Man Who Broke A Thousand Chains, Scott Joplin King of Ragtime and the Wynton Marsalis-scored Pulitzer Prize winning epic, Rosewood. He also wrote the Grammy-nominated score for the Broadway production Mule Bone, based on a play by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Taj has also recorded several Grammy nominated children's albums and provided voices for popular cartoon characters, such as "Sage," from the forthcoming animated series, The Blues Brothers.
His unmistakable voice, talent, and spirit keeps him in a state of perpetual artistic growth and evolution. Taj Mahal has always, played the music that he loves. This is how he continues to pull in fans, new and old, from every conceivable walk of life. Taj Mahal continuously opens our eyes to a wide range of musical possibilities.
When Taj manages to find some free time, he can be found fishing, gardening (organically, of course), smoking Matacan "Maduro" cigars, or in the kitchen cooking up some spicy dish. He is an avid reader of philosophy, and is fluent in five languages.
He also makes time to respond to his own e-mail. (taj@hawaiian.net)
A true Renaissance man, Taj Mahal is a cyclone of energy and sound. Most important to him is to pass down the vital traditions of the past. Based on his huge following, it's safe to say Taj Mahal is fulfilling his mission...
"My father had this old Firestone radio with a short-wave band. I could listen to London, Rio, Havana, Kingston, Moscow, all around the world, and I could hear people's souls through their music."
-- Taj Mahal