A friend once complained that the blues were, well, too blue. The last thing he wanted to hear was someone else’s complaints because he had enough of his own, and he was perfectly able to voice them on his own, thank you very much.

But if there’s one musician who can inject fun into the blues, it’s Taj Mahal. Wearing a Panama hat and a Hawaiian shirt on stage, it’s an image that one would expect to see on anyone but a blues musician.

“You don't ever hear me moaning and crying about how bad you done treated me,” Mahal has stated in a past interview.

Mahal—who will perform a sold-out show at The Ark on Wednesday night—borrows from many sounds and regions to create the brand of music that is uniquely his own.

On any given song, one might hear Caribbean, African roots, Hawaiian, gospel, or any number of other influences. As a multi-instrumentalist, he is able to bring out those sounds using guitar, Dobro steel guitar, banjo and many more.

Born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, Mahal was raised in a musical family. His father, of Caribbean descent, was a jazz pianist, composer and arranger. His mother, a schoolteacher, sang gospel tunes.

Despite the many musical influences in his life, the young Fredericks almost went into animal husbandry. Thankfully, he remained in a band during his college years. After graduation, he moved to California where he formed The Rising Sons with Ry Cooder.

More than four decades later, Mahal has emerged as a musical icon and immersed himself in not just playing but studying music. He has studied ethnomusicology with the Pioneer Valley Folklore Society and put out albums that focused on world music, classical Indian and even Hawaiian blues.

But Taj Mahal is as much a singer as he is a musician and is able to change his voice to suit the needs of the song. Hits like “Corrina” showcase a velvety, soulful sound, while those like “Cakewalk into Town” are far grittier.

While his style can change, one thing remains the same; Taj Mahal just wants his audience to have fun.

"The one thing I've always demanded of the records I've made is that they be danceable," Mahal is quoted on his website as saying.

Taj Mahal's last album was 2008's "Maestro."