Tamar-kali
| Tamar-kali | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Tamara Colletta Brown |
| Born | October 8 |
| Origin | Brooklyn, NY, United States |
| Genres |
Rock Pop Punk |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | OyaWarrior Records |
| Associated acts | Bad Brains, Honeychild, Fishbone, Outkast, Song of Seven, Simi |
| Website | Tamar-kali.com |
Tamar-kali is an American rock singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. The latter part of her name was taken from the Hindu goddess of war and power.
Tamar-kali was born and raised in Brooklyn where she grew up equally entranced by punk and hip-hop in New York City. She spent the summers of her childhood with her mother’s family on St. Helena Island, South Carolina where she was exposed to Gullah culture, a mixture of Southern U.S. and West African customs and languages. She attended Catholic School for 13 years, which she credits for her rebellious nature and sound. Her musical inspirations include PJ Harvey, Grace Jones, The Mars Volta, Deftones, Betty Davis and Quicksand.
She attended Adelphi University where she studied English Education. She teaches and has become very involved in the North African dance art form Raqs Sharqi as well as Middle Eastern Belly Dance.
After tenures as a member of Funkface and Song of Seven, Tamar-kali became a solo writer, musician and composer in 1997. She rose to prominence starring in James Spooner's award-winning documentary Afro-Punk. The indie film spotlighted her performances and made her the official face for the DVD cover artwork.
As a vocalist she has supported artists like Fishbone on tour and OutKast on the group's second album, ATLiens.
She has performed in such venues as Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center, sometimes paying tribute to luminaries such as Nina Simone, Betty Davis and Odetta, In August 2009 She performed at the BRC Orchestra's "Four Women: A Salute to Miriam Makeba, Eartha Kitt, Abbey Lincoln and Odetta" at Damrosch Park in Lincoln Center. She was the Musical Director for the Black Rock Coalition's Tribute to Nina Simone which held concerts in NYC (2003, 2009 and 2010) as well as Paris and the South of France (2009). She has shared the stage with Paramore, Fishbone, Dubwar, Joi, Cassandra Wilson, Saul Williams, The Dirtbombs, Jean Grae and Earl Greyhound.
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