Born on 15 June 1968, Samba grew up in Dabi, a small village in the Tombouctou region of Mali. Samba’s father passed away just before his birth, leaving his mother to raise him alongside his brother, Ibrahima ‘Bouri’ Séré. Although they could not afford formal education, he was surrounded by music from an early age and his mother was one of the first women to sing with the young Ali Farka Touré at the Biennale Festival in Mali. When he was old enough, Samba left for the Malian capital, Bamako, in the hopes of finding a job.