Vieux Farka Toure is the son of the late Malian guitarist Ali Farka Toure, and Vieux follows in his father's legendary footsteps with his own take on Malian "blues" the spare, acoustic, guitar-driven style pioneered by his father.

Vieux's self-titled debut was released in February, 2007, and featured the last recordings of his father, who passed away in 2006, as well as a guest appearance from the equally legendary kora virtuoso (and longtime family friend) Toumani Diabate.

But Vieux was not always the obvious successor to Ali's musical legacy. It wasn't until Ali had lost much of his movement to bone cancer, when Vieux's recording was being made, that Ali realized just how musically adept Vieux had become. Growing up, Vieux played calabash (a dried gourd drum used in Mali) and other percussion, but his father didn't want Vieux to face the same struggles he had as a musician, and discouraged him from following the same path.