Photo: pixgremlin: http://www.aworan.com c/o Pix Gremlin / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Taj Mahal is one of those musicians who makes you realize how narrow your idea of "the blues" was before you heard him. Born Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr. in New York City in 1942, he studied at UMass Amherst and came up during the 1960s folk-blues revival, but he never stayed put in any one tradition — he's blended West African, Caribbean, Hawaiian, and soul influences into his blues in ways that feel completely natural rather than forced. The man plays guitar, piano, banjo, harmonica, and more, and he brings the same deep, lived-in warmth to all of it. His 2014 Americana Lifetime Achievement Award feels like the music world finally saying out loud what fans have known for decades: this guy is a living treasure who quietly expanded what American roots music could be.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Taj Mahal
- Name (Japanese)
- タジ・マハール
- Reading
- たじ・まはーる
- Born
- May 17, 1942 (age 84)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Horse
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Occupation
- blues musician / singer / banjoist / pianist / composer
2. Background
- University
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
Awards & achievements
- 2014 Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance
- Blues Music Award
- Maple Blues Awards
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Taj Mahal born?
Born May 17, 1942 (age 84).
Where is Taj Mahal from?
Taj Mahal is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Taj Mahal do?
Taj Mahal works as blues musician, singer, banjoist, pianist, composer.
Singer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.