The Rail Band was one of the first West African acts to combine this mature Afro-Latin sound with traditional instruments and styles.
Their distinctive sound came from combining electric guitar and jazz horns with soaring Mandinka and Bamabara lyrical lines, African and western drums, and local instruments such as the kora and the balafon.
At their height of fame in the 1970s, the Rail Band played to sold-out venues and even stadia across West Africa, and launched solo careers for many of its members, including Salif Keita.
The Malian government had, since the '60s, been sponsoring cultural events and groups to promote national traditions, the Rail Band was among those programs.
The group soon became a training ground for many of Mali's most popular performers, such as singer Mory Kanté and guitarist Kante Manfila.