Distinguished is level 3 of 4 in the The Gambia Hall of Fame: sustained excellence over a career, widely honoured at home. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
From the 1940s she sang at Bathurst's grandest occasions and about its politics, and passed the music on to a son who would go on to mentor Youssou N'Dour.
Marie Samuel Njie was a Gambian griot singer and cultural figure from Bathurst, now Banjul, popular from the 1940s until the early 1970s.
She performed traditional Senegambian music accompanied by xalam, calabash and sabar, at high-society occasions in Bathurst and in songs about everyday life and public affairs. She took part in politics, supporting the Gambia Democratic Party in the 1950s and later the United Party. Her son Pap Touray became a successful musician in his own right and mentored the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour.
She performed traditional Senegambian music accompanied by xalam, calabash and sabar, at high-society occasions in Bathurst and in songs about everyday life and public affairs. She took part in politics, supporting the Gambia Democratic Party in the 1950s and later the United Party. Her son Pap Touray became a successful musician in his own right and mentored the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour.
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