Taj Mahal

“The blues is bigger than most people think,” Taj Mahal says. “You could hear Mozartplay the blues. It might be more like a lament. It might be more melancholy. But I’mgoing to tell you: the blues is in there.”

Taj is a towering musical figure -- a legend who transcended the blues not by leavingthem behind, but by revealing their magnificent scope to the world. Quantifying the 77-year-old’s significance is impossible, but people try anyway. A 2017 Grammy winfor TajMo, Taj’s collaboration with Keb’ Mo’, brought his Grammy tally to three wins and14 nominations, and underscored his undiminished relevance more than 50 years afterhis solo debut. Blues Hall of Fame membership, a Lifetime Achievement Award from theAmericana Music Association, and other honors punctuate his résumé. Taj appreciatesthe accolades, but his motivation lies elsewhere. “I just want to be able to make themusic that I’m hearing come to me -- and that’s what I did,” Taj says. “When I say, ‘I did,’I’m not coming from the ego. The music comes from somewhere. You’re just the conduitit comes through. You’re there to receive the gift.”