Thione Diop was born in 1978 to a Griot family in Senegal, West Africa. Griots are hereditary artists who carry the responsibility of preserving history, values, and cultural identity, dedicating their lives to art. His father already a renowned sabar drummer, Thione began playing the sabar and djembe at the age of five. After becoming an acclaimed performer, he moved to Seattle, Washington, where he began teaching in addition to performing, mostly in the northwest. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.