Vieux Farka Touré, the second son of the late Ali Farka Touré, inherited his mantle, but his father never wanted him to be a musician and endure the same problems he had. In 1999, Vieux became a student at the National Arts Institute in Bamako, taking up his father's instrument, the guitar, and writing his own music. He became part of the group backing kora wizard Toumani Diabaté, who urged Ali to give up and finally encourage his son. In 2005, Vieux and producer Eric Herman began work on his solo debut. By that time Ali was in the later stages of the cancer that would kill him, and his work on the album was the last recording of his career. ~ Chris Nickson
