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A Minneapolis Lakota man is developing an archive of music by Native American artists one record and cassette tape at a time. Justis Brokenrope (Sicangu Lakota), founder of Wathéča Records, music curator, DJ, and educator, has already amassed a sizable collection of mostly folk, rock, blues, and country music by Native musicians. Now he’s converting a lot of that music to digital formats to give the music and the artists who created it new recognition. Along the way he’s expanding the conversation about the importance of Native languages.
Break 1 Music: This Boy (song) The Mysterians (artist) Self-titled (album)
Break 2 Music: Back Home (song) Pepper (artist) In with the Old (album)
Wow. Great 1973 cover of Mother and Child Reunion by the Navajo Sundowners. Related maybe: a documentary about how the Rolling Stones tune, “This May be the Last Time” was originally an indigenous song. The title of the documentary is the same as that song. I recommend it. And thanks for all the great programming. Shawn it’s a delight to listen to you host this show with its many varied and difficult topics.
Louis Cook on WSLU North Country Public Radio had a show Radioactive Indians. There’s archives of some of his shows. His cousin Ray Cook founded Akwesasne Freedom Radio, director of CKON Mohawk Nation Radio was a mover w National Community Radio Organizations & Native Music Awards. I worked w both of them. Louis son is a DJ w CKON now.
There was a book like a Registry of Native American musicians. At Akwesasne Notes we did a Native Arts Journal called Akwekon and this book came up, A Google search may find it but it was pre-Internet for sure.