Windspeaker salutes Native performers . . . from country to rock

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Over the past decade the number of Native recording artists in Canada has increased from a mere handful to dozens.

In a tribute to fans and performers alike, Windspeaker is pleased to present a brief profile of well known and not so well-known artists. The following short biographies are intended as brief introductions to some of these performers. If space permitted Windspeaker would have included more profiles.

Generally speaking, the bulk of Native entertainers, particularly those who have records and/or cassette tapes on the market, are country singers or fiddle players. There's a smattering of folk, traditional and rock artists but heir numbers do not compare to those in the country music field. Traditional drummers and singers, who perform at powwows and round dances have not been included but will be featured in our special powwow issue this spring.

This special feature has a Canadian focus with special emphasis on Alberta talent. An asterisk (*) before the name of an entertainer symbolizes they have made recording(s).

The first dozen artists hail from Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and are well known throughout the country. Two of them, Buffy Sainte Marie and Lucille Star, have international status.

Willie Dunn (Mohawk)

From the province of Quebec, this singer has recorded two long-play albums and made many guest appearances.

A singer-songwriter, Willie has also produced films for the National Film Board. He is best-known for the film "Crowfoot" which he produced and wrote. He also sang the theme song, "Ballad of Crowfoot." His style is folk.

Ray St. Germain (Metis)

This singer-recording artist also hails from Manitoba. He has been a professional country singer and entertainer for over 15 years and remains active in the music industry. He still makes numerous guest appearances on television, and has done his own special series on CBC television.

His album, "Ray ST. Germain," contains several of his own compositions.

Winston Wuttunee (Cree)

Dynamic! Humorous! These words fit just fine on this popular Cree who was born and raised on Saskatchewan's Red Pheasant Indian Reserve. His style and ability never fail to win over an audience whether they be children or adults.

In great demand throughout Canada, Winston now attempts to direct his efforts much more to schools. He now has several albums on the market. "See the Arrow" is the most popular.

Tommy Jackson (Metis)

This strapping six foot-four, brown-eyed, handsome man has had many female admirers. A fine guitarist and singer, Tom's preferred style is folk or country. A guest of many radio and TV shows in Edmonton, which he used to call home, Tom now lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

He travels extensively and is a newcomer to the recording industry. Tom is blessed with a rich voice, a fine style, good material and effective stage presence. In 1980, he was a finalist on CBC TV's Search for Talent contest.

By the way, don't let him con you into a pool game . . .he's good at that too.

Harry Rusk (Slavey)

Raised in Fort Nelson, B.C., Rusk was a tuberculosis patient in Edmonton from age 12 through 16. In hospital he was visited by Hank Snow, a country great he had always idolized.

With Snow as his inspiration, Rusk got into country music. Eventually he was on radio and television, and doing live shows. He has been on the Grand Ole Opry and has recorded several albums.

By the early 1980s, Rusk had taken up Full Gospel music and is now dedicated to the Lord's work.

Laura Vinson (Metis)

Operating out of Edmonton, Vinson has cut 20 singles and five albums. With her band, Red Wyng, she is more than busy touring the A circuit.

Although she was inspired by the music of Buffy Saint-Marie, Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, she has also been influenced by performers such as Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane.

Vinson's love for mountain country has kept her in western Canada.

Shannon Two Feathers (Saulteaux)

Saskatchewan orn, Two Feathers is a multi-talented musician, singer, actor and artist.

After living in Edmonton a number of years, he returned to Saskatchewan in 1980. in 1986, he married Metis author Maria Campbell. They live at Batoche Crossing, just north of Saskatoon.

Two Feathers is best known for his album, Dreams that Feed a Gypsy.

C-Weed Band (Metis)

This five-piece country rock band operates from Winnipeg. They do a lot of road work, are very well know in both Native and non-Native circles, and have particular appeal with young audiences.

C-Weed has been voted Canada's country band of the year. Their biggest single hit is "Evangeline". They currently have several albums out, including "High and Dry" and "The Finest You Can Buy."

Since the late '60s and early '70s, when singers like Buffy Saint Marie and Lucille Star were going strong, many more artists have surfaced and are making their presence felt:

Traditional/folk

Billy Simard, (the late) Morley Loon and Charlie Panigoniak fit into this category. Few singers tread the waters of folk because it is not longer a style which draws attention or sales. *Simard has quite a following in eastern Canada and *Panigoniak is an Inuit singer from Eskimo Point, N.W.T. who has recorded three albums. *Loon is not very well known and comes from northern Quebec. He has an album out called Northland, My Land.

Rock

This is another category in which there are few recorded Native artists. In the U.S.A., a few bands immediately come to mind ? Redbone, Xit and Winterhawk, which had a smash hit with the album Electric Warrior.

Fred Morin and his band, Northern Fire, from Yellowknife, do a fair bit of touring and have recoded a few albums including All of Us and Northern Fire #2. Three particular bands are familiar on the Alberta scene: in the north, it is Wabasca's Star Seekers; in the central area, The Fourth Generation ? a five piece family group; and in the south, Kinroq from the Blood Indian reserve which has recorded twoextended play records ? Afraid of the Dark and My Friends.

Country

This category is extensive. It seems that almost every year there are more Naive artists being recorded ? some on albums, some on singles.

In the past four or five years people have come to know the names of singers like Laura Vinson, Priscilla Morin and Don Bouvette. Not to be neglected are Manitoba's Edward Gamblin, Harvey Henry Band, C-Weed Band and Riel's Rebels. From Saskatchewan, one cannot overlook Ernest Monias and the Shadows, Robbie Brass and Red Wine, Henry and Delores Gardipy, and Glory Ann Carriere who is a professional and married to country great Ronnie Prophet.

Monias, under the Sunshine Record label from Winnipeg, now has five albums to her credit, the best still being Ernest Monias. The Gardipys who work out of North Battleford have a few albums, as does Robbie Brass. Another singer is Phil Boyer of Saskatoon who recently put out the album, Slow Country. A gospel album may be his next effort.

The album Don't Stop the Rain is the first of two recorded by Ed Gamblin, originally from Norway House in northern Manitoba. Another record Metis Tribute to Riel features several Native singers and musicians, including Suzanne Bird and Ed Desjarlais.

Alberta's Laura Vinson and her band Red Wyng have recorded several albums, the most recent being Many Moons Ago. She was featured at last year's colossal Big Valley Jamboree alongside such giants as Randy Travis and Reba McIntyre.

Priscilla Morin of Lac La Biche is only 17 but has just cut her second single, The Hardest Part of Love is Letting Go through Crazy Fox Productions. Morin was the 1987 winner of the prestigious CFCW Country Star Search in Edmonton.

A couple of other Albertans who have singles out include Jeanette Calahasen, Rocky Woodward and Ernie Gambler. Arnie Stry has two cassettes out, the first being Arnie: For my Friends Old and New. He and his wife operate mainly as a duo and have been touring much of the north lately.

he Saddle Lake Drifting Cowboys are still in operation and now have another album to their credit called Country and Rocky and Roll Sound. A few other bands worth mentioning are Wabasca's Star Seekers, who also play soft rock; the Silver Creek Band led by Billy Joseph, who also happens to be an artist; Buckskin band which has two albums going, and the Tomahawks led by Tom Cardinal. Although not recorded, this group has been around awhile and sometimes features blind vocalist/musician, Elvis Gray.

Wabasca's Chucky Beaver remains unrecorded but is a very big name throughout most of northern Alberta and some central areas. A few others not on label but who have been performing and are known to a number of communities, particularly the Native ones are: Gordon Norquay, Michael Ferguson, Albert Chalifoux, Albert Badger, Wilfred Collins, Andy Gladue, Ken Gardiner, Bob Ladouceur, Brenda Gladue and the late Frank Napier.

Fiddlers

In both Native and non-Native communities there exists a host of fiddle players, some more noteworthy than others. In the prairie provinces alone there are at least two dozen fiddlers worth naming.

Already mentioned are two notable Manitobans, the Late Andy Desjarlis and Reg Bouvette. A few others who have been recorded are Mel Bedard, Marcel Meilleur, Lawrence "Teddy Boy" Houle and Eugene Laderoute. Cliff Maypwayashing has an album called Native Fiddling Fever and Clint Dutiaume of the C-Weed band has one entitled Here Comes the Kid.

*Johnny Arcand and the late Jules Morin of Green Lake, Sask., were recognized for their prowess with the fiddle. The same goes for Hap Boyer who has produced a cassette of his self-compositions called Red River Reel. Young Kelly Atcheynum of North Battleford is a fine player who many are waiting on to record a cassette tape.

Some who have won or placed in fiddle competitions such as the Edmonton Friendship Centre's all-Native festival include: Caroline Von Grad, Rod Sutherland, Peter Morin, Jim St. Germaine, G