Abdoul Doumbia was born and raised in Zambougou, Mali, among the cultural traditions of noble blacksmiths immersed in the ancient music of the Bamana people. He was called to the drum at the age of 5 and completed a 16-year apprenticeship under Master Drummer Moriba Keita in Bamako. Abdoul worked with a number of professional dance/drum companies in Mali, including serving as lead drummer for the renowned traditional drumming and dance troupe, Babemba, for 9 years. He was also chosen as the representative of his region for 8 consecutive years for the National Drum Festival of Mali.

Abdoul immigrated to the United States in 1991 to teach at Brown University, where he was professor of African Music Studies for six years. He also taught regularly at Yale, University of Connecticut and Princeton. He moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1998 where he teaches regular classes, drums for Djeneba Sako and other dance teachers, and performs. Abdoul teaches and performs regularly across the United States and Japan, and also organizes drum and dance tours to Mali annually. Abdoul is known for his mastery of the Bamana djembe and dunun, and is a wealth of information regarding Mali's rich history.