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Taj Mahal was born in New York City, New York, United States on May 17, 1942. Taj Mahal is credited as a blues musician, singer and banjoist. That works out to 84 years old in 2026. Schooling on record includes University of Massachusetts Amherst. Listed accolades include Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance (2014), Blues Music Award and Maple Blues Awards.
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.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
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)
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Occupation
- blues musician / singer / banjoist / pianist / composer
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Horse
2. Background
- University
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
Awards & achievements
- 2014 Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance
- Blues Music Award
- Maple Blues Awards
3. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.tajblues.com
- Xhttps://x.com/kingbmahal
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj%20Mahal%20(musician)
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%BF%E3%82%B8%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9E%E3%83%8F%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q353023
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Taj Mahal born?
Taj Mahal was born on May 17, 1942 and is 84 years old.
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.
Where did Taj Mahal study?
Taj Mahal attended University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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