Earlier this year, I wrote about the pioneering women’s Rock group, Fanny. In doing the research for that post, I came across the Rock group, Redbone and discovered something I did not know. Redbone is a groundbreaking Native American band. Now, in my defense, I was overseas when the group charted their biggest hits and I never actually saw them perform. Anyway, that’s my excuse for not knowing and I’m sticking with it.
Formed in 1969 by brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas, Redbone was one of the first Native American rock bands to achieve mainstream success. Redbone’s origins can be traced back to the musical aspirations of the Vegas brothers, who were of Yaqui, Shoshone, and Mexican heritage. Before forming Redbone, the brothers had already made a name for themselves as studio musicians in Los Angeles, working with artists like Tina Turner, James Brown and Elvis Presley. However, they wanted something of their own and formed the band, Redbone—a name inspired by a slang term for people of mixed Native American and European descent. The original band consisted of Pat Vegas, Lolly Vegas, Peter DePoe and Tony Bellamy.
In 1973, Redbone achieved their greatest success with the hit single Come and Get Your Love. The song, which blended rock and funk, reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the most recognizable songs of the decade. Years later, it found renewed popularity after being featured in the 2014 Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy. It was the song Peter Quill played on his Sony Walkman when we first meet him during the opening credits of the movie. With the release of the movie soundtrack, there was renewed interest in the band.
Beyond their musical achievements, Redbone was committed to advocating for Native American
rights. Their 1970 song We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee directly addressed the 1890 massacre of Lakota Sioux people by the U.S. Army. Although the song was banned in the United States, it became a hit in Europe, amplifying the band’s message of social justice. I encourage you to click on the link above to hear the song because chances are if you are in the United States and don’t own the album Wovoka, you’ve never heard the song before.
Below is Redbone performing Come and Get Your Love in 1974 on the TV show Midnight Special. However, there is an outstanding performance of them doing Come and Get Your Love and Maggie on the Don Krishner’s Rock Concert TV Show. Unfortunately, I can’t show that performance on this site due to copyright, but this is the YouTube link. I encourage you click on it and watch this band work! (And just a note, any doubts you may have about this band being Native American, if you haven’t seen them perform, are quickly dispelled in the first few seconds of this performance.)
Despite facing challenges in an industry that often overlooked Native American artists, Redbone’s musical legacy remains strong. Original member Tony Bellamy died in 2009. Lolly Vegas, the lead singer and group co-founder died in 2010 after battling lung cancer. But, the band is still active and touring, led by co-founder Pat Vegas.
Redbone’s fusion of their cultural heritage with mainstream Rock assures their role in raising awareness of Native American identity. I just regret I wasn’t aware earlier in my life of Redbone’s unique contribution to Rock history.
