Indigenous Influences: "Native Americans Who Rocked the World"

As an assignment, we watched the documentary Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, the title instantly catching my attention because it made me stop and think what the true meaning behind this documentary is about.  After all, “The Indians Who Rocked the World” is a phrase that really makes an impact when one first reads it. As I started watching the documentary, I was a little lost because I didn’t exactly know what this documentary would be about. But as the documentary continued, I understood that the premise was to show that there have been several Native Americans that have been a part of some of the greatest bands in the world and that we, having listened to their music over the years, never knew that they were of Native American descent. And it made me realize: why were we never aware of this?

As we know, Native Americans to this day have a hard time being open about their origins. One of the main reasons is because of social discrimination and unawareness of the community. As a music major, I had not realized the presence of this element in the music, but from now on, when I listen to a rock song I try to see if I can find an instrument solo or a certain rhythm that sounds like something related to the culture or style of Native American music.

Out of every topic that was discussed in the documentary there were three main topics that caught my attention. One of the topics becomes apparent when you listen closely to some of the drum patterns you can hear and feel the rhythm of Native American music. There have been several guitarists and drummers of Native American descent, and if you listen closely, you can hear their cultural origins in their solos. And they were not and re not just working with any kind of musicians; they've worked and hung out with artists like John Lennon and the Rolling Stones who were huge fans of their work and talent. For example, Randy Castillo, who is of Native American descent and a former drummer of Ozzy Osbourne, was someone who was being discussed in the documentary. In footage of his drum solos, you can hear that syncopated rhythm, meaning that they stress a beat that is normally not stressed, and. syncopation is very common element in Native American music. When the connection between Native American cultural history and present day popular is made, it’s startling since most of us at some point have heard this music performed time and again, yet we never make that connection ourselves.


Image courtesy of Dafnne Arteta

On the other hand, Apache guitarist Jesse Davis was adored by many legendary people like John Lennon and Mick Jagger. He was invited to play solos for all kinds of different bands and famous rock stars and was one of the few that was very proud of his heritage and whenever he had a chance on stage, he would tell the audience that he was a very proud Indian and that he hoped that wouldn’t change the perspective of his admirers.

 Another band that had a huge hit that most of us have heard before is Red Bone. This band released a single in the 60’s called “Come and Get Your Love” that became viral. When I heard it, I was again surprised because I had heard this song so many times, and I never knew the origins of the band. This band was special because they would do an Indian dance before the show with their costumes and shakers and then play their rock and blues songs afterward. I believe it’s a very enriching experience for the audience and a great way for the band to get the world to accept them, know about them, and let them know that being a member of a minority group does not make your dreams any less than anyone else’s.

But many things caught my attention in this documentary, like was the number and diversity of the artists who had Native American descent who played a crucial role and were the inspiration for many artists to come. For example, Mildred Bailey was an amazing Jazz singer during the 40's who had become the inspiration for many future artists like the great Tony Bennett.

I was also surprised by the intersection of African American and Native American cultures. The documentary shows images of what I thought were African Americans dressed with feather costumes and performing Native American dances and rituals. Suddenly, I realized that they were not trying to act like Native Americans but were Native Americans. I could not tell because their facial traits and color of skin inclined more to the African American side. I thought this mixture between the two cultures is so interesting because of the fact that children grew up with both cultures and traditions present in their life which makes them more wise and involved in different societies and perspectives. A great example they showed was Jimmy Hendrix. Personally, I never thought that he was of Native American descent, but it turns out that his grandmother was Native American, and he was very influenced by his indigenous ancestry. I never paid attention to the outfits he wore in his concerts, but the shirts with flowers, the leathers, and other different accessories paid homage to his Indian descent. Furthermore, if you listen closely to some of Hendrix’s solos, you can sometimes hear those Native American sounds wafting amongst the notes.


Image courtesy of Dafnne Arteta

The Native American influence even finds its way into the genre of blues.  When one familiar with blues music listens to Native American music very closely, he or she will no doubt hear sounds reminiscent of the legendary trademarks of the blues genre. The fact that Native American music could be a predecessor of blues and that many simply aren't aware of the historical connection can be a bit jarring. In Rumble, the audience can see and hear a Native American banjo solo, and when I heard it myself, I could not believe how much it sounded like the blues to which I've been long accustomed. I tried to make these different connections on why it sounded so alike until a Native American woman who is part of a women's quartet that sings different harmonies in Native American music styles mentioned that to her it is like "baby blues." Blues origins come mainly from the African Americans, so if one makes these connections that there is an interracial mix, there could have been a sharing of musical ideas between them that possibly lead to blues as well. It is certainly an interesting topic of research that I wish investigate further

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World opened my eyes, and can hopefully open the eyes of other citizens. It can make us understand how surrounded we are in Native American culture, how indigenous people express their cultures and talents in myriad and unexpected ways, and how, through their own Native American musical influences, they are also capable of achieving extraordinarily huge success throughout the world in a genre that moves and connects all kinds of ethnicities.

In the words of Robbie Robertson of the Mohawk Nation and lead guitarist of The Band: “Be proud you’re an Indian, but be careful who you tell.”

Written by Dafnne Arteta
Undergraduate Research Fellow, The Humanities Collaborative at EPCC-UTEP