**early life and musical influences** ali farka touré, a renowned malian singer, and multi-instrumentalist, was born in 1939 in the village of kanau, on the banks of the niger river. his family belonged to the songhai community, and his nickname "farka," meaning "donkey," symbolized tenacity and stubbornness. * **early musical influences:** + a performance by the national ballet of guinea in 1956 inspired touré to pursue a career in music. + he learned to play the guitar and sing in seven languages, including songhay, fulfulde, tamasheq, and bambara. + john lee hooker's music influenced him,…