They formed in Ségou, Mali, in the 1960s, had up to 19 members at one point, but dwindled after 1986 after band leader Amadou Bâ left.
After a hiatus, they re-formed with four new members and guitarist Mama Sissoko as band leader in 2001, and started playing the closing set at the Festival sur le Niger in Ségou each year.
It is heavily influenced by Cuban music, including the use of congas and bongo drums, and combines traditional and contemporary elements.
They became known to the general public in Mali during the Youth Weeks ("Semaines de la Jeunesse"), where they won several prizes between 1964 and 1968.
[2] Original members included vocalists Mamadou Doumbia ("Percé"), Toussaint Siané, Papa Gaoussou Diarra ("Papus"), Aboubacar Kissa ("Cubain"); and horn player and band leader Amadou Bâ.
Percé Doumbia, Toussaint Siané, and Abou Kissa went into the bush and recorded the voices of old women sing the ceremonial songs of marriage and female circumcision.
[5] In 1976, being named "national orchestra" made them civil servants of the Malian state, and therefore residents for life.