Habib Koïté hails from the Khasso region (around Kayes), in the western part of Mali, close to the Senegalese border, but he was born in Senegal, from Malian parents. After highschool, he went to the Institut National des Arts in Bamako to study music. After graduation in 1982, he began to teach guitar at the same institute.

From a Khassonke griot family, he makes a modernised but very pure music, mainly of the "danssa" rhythm, and combines it with other Malian rhythms, as well as blues influences. In 1988, he created his own band, Bamada. After winning the first price at the Voxpole Festival in Perpignan, France, he was able to record two songs, Cigarette a Bana, and Nanalé. With the latter, he won the Prix Découverte RFI in 1993. It was the start for international acclaim with participation in several (world) music festivals. It was only in 1995, that he finally recorded his first CD in Belgium. His second album, on which he used relatively more traditional instrumentation, came out in early 1998. Another three years were needed for his latest album.