Tamar-kali facts for kids

Tamara Colletta Brown, known as Tamar-kali, is an American rock singer and music maker. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Early Life and Musical Roots

Tamar-kali grew up in Brooklyn. Her father was a band leader who played bass and drums. He taught her a lot about music. Her great-uncle was the singer Archie Bell.

She spent summers with her mother's family on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. There, she learned about her Gullah heritage. This culture mixes traditions from the Southern U.S. and West Africa. Tamar-kali said that music was always a big part of her life. It helped her grow and feel connected to her roots.

She went to Catholic school for 13 years. This experience helped shape her unique and rebellious music style. She loved many types of music, from home influences to classical choir training at school. In high school, she studied choral singing and music theory. She also taught herself to play guitar and bass.

Her musical heroes include PJ Harvey, Grace Jones, The Mars Volta, Deftones, Betty Davis, Patti Smith, Prince, and Quicksand.

Starting in Music

In the early 1990s, Tamar-kali began performing in the East Village with bands like Funkface and Song of Seven. In 1997, she started Sista Grrrl. This was a group for Black women and girls in music. It helped them find their voice when they felt left out of other music scenes. Sista Grrrl Riots were a series of shows she organized with three other Black women. This movement was very important for the start of Afro-punk music.

Tamar-kali studied English Education at Adelphi University. She also teaches and is very involved in North African dance, like Raqs Sharqi and Middle Eastern Belly Dance.

The "kali" in her stage name comes from the Hindu goddess Kali.

Music Career

After playing with Funkface and Song of Seven, Tamar-kali started her solo career in 1997. She became a popular artist in the New York City underground punk rock scene. She became even more well-known after appearing in James Spooner's film Afro-Punk (2003). This movie showed her performances and featured her on its DVD cover. Her music and compositions are inspired by books, ideas, art, and movies.

Performances and Recordings

Tamar-kali has sung with many famous artists. She has toured with Fishbone and sang on OutKast's album ATLiens. She has also shared the stage with bands like Paramore, The Roots, and Dub War.

She has performed at famous places like Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center. Sometimes, she performs tributes to legendary singers like Nina Simone, Betty Davis, and Odetta. She was the Musical Director for the Black Rock Coalition's tributes to Nina Simone. These concerts took place in New York City and Paris.

In 2006, Tamar-kali released her first music video for "Boot." This song was from her first EP, Geechee Goddess Hardcore Warrior Soul. The video showed her amazing guitar playing. It also explored how young Black girls might not see their own beauty. In 2007, Tamar-kali toured Europe. Her first full album, Black Bottom, came out in 2010.

Tamar-kali often performs with her Psychochamber Ensemble of Strings. This group plays experimental chamber music. They have performed at the Museum of Modern Art.

In 2018, Tamar-kali created Demon Fruit Blues. This project combined rock, gospel, and blues with classical and African music. It explored old stories about women through her own experiences as a Black woman and artist.

Composing for Films

Tamar-kali often works with director Dee Rees. Tamar-kali wrote the music for Rees' film Mudbound (2017). For this, she won the World Soundtrack Award for Discovery of the Year. She had worked with Rees before, appearing in Pariah (2011) and writing a song for Bessie (2015). For Pariah, she also sang a cover of "Fire With Fire." For Bessie, she provided songs and performed with her band in a scene. Tamar-kali says that Dee Rees helped her start her career in film scoring.

Since then, Tamar-kali has written music for other movies. These include Come Sunday (2018), The Lie (2018), The Assistant (2019), and Shirley (2020). In 2020, she also composed music for Rees' film The Last Thing He Wanted. She also scored the documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble. In 2023, she composed the music for Little Richard: I Am Everything. Her film scores have been nominated for several awards. In 2021, Shirley was nominated for an SCL Award for Best Original Score.

In a 2019 interview, Tamar-kali talked about how being an independent artist helped her with film scoring. She also learned a lot about technology and working with directors.

Tamar-Kali has also created music for her string sextet and voice project, Psychochamber Ensemble.

Discography

Albums

• Geechee Goddess Hardcore Warrior Soul EP, (OyaWarrior Records, 2005)
• Black Bottom LP, (OyaWarrior Records, 2010)

Singles

• "Boot" (2006) [1]
• "Pearl" remix f/ Jean Grae (2010) [2]