Rockin' Robbie dives back into Native heritage

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Six years ago rock legend Robbie Roberston released his first solo album since his days with "The Band" that had music fans questioning his cultural background,

His album "Robbie Robertson", featuring hits like "Showdown at Big Sky" and "Broken Arrow", displayed such a reverence for First Nations through its tribal rhythms and lyrics, that it seemed unlikely he could be alien to the culture. The huge success of album and its music videos caused a rejuvenation of pride among Native North Americans since it was the first of its kind to be accepted by the mainstream music industry.

So it should be no surprise to find out Robertson's ancestral roots reach back to the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, where his mother grew up. He is half Mohawk mixed with Scottish and Jewish descent.

Vancouverites were recently honored by one of his rare public appearances at the 7th annual Musicwest Festival which kicked off May 6th. During his keynote address Robertson made no secret that what enticed him to participate in the festival was the Native acts scheduled to perform during the four day event, ranging from "Kastin" of Quebec to "Keith Secola and the Wild Band of Indians" of Arizona.

"When I saw how many native acts that were performing I thought, this will tie into my project perfectly," says Robertson, who's seeking Native musicians. "Ted Turner, who owns CNN, recently approached me to compose and co-ordinate the music for a six hour mini-series based on the history of the Native Americans.

"I was just honored that he asked me to do it because I would have hated to see it fall into the hands of the wrong people."

During the early stages of his career with "The Band" Robertson said it didn't seem feasible to write songs with a Native content.

"I felt I would have imposed if I approached other band members to do songs about my heritage. Now that I produce my own records I don't have to take that into consideration. Besides, it was never really a conscious decision to write about my native heritage, it just sort of crept up and surfaced in my songs."

Robertson attributes much of his musical success to the time spent on the reserve while growing up, "I went from the city (Toronto) to the reservation all the time. I was like a schizophrenic kid from two worlds," he says jokingly.

"People used to point how poor people were on the reserve but this never dawned on me because I had my best times on the reservation. It was where I first learned to play music and where my love for it began. All my uncles, cousins, everybody played something, from the drums, to the fiddle to the guitar, everybody played something."

Robertson's second solo album "Storyville", released last year, relays a similar message as his first "return to your roots". Although the album has a New Orleans theme, the message is evident in the single "Go Back To Your Woods".

Robertson will head back to L.A. to finish his current projects which include collaborating on a new album with Eric Clapton and composing another musical score for a Martin Scorsese film.

His next step will be to round up Native musicians to produce the soundtrack for the American Native mini-series this fall, "I have always wanted to work with (Native) friends of mine all over America," says Robertson, "now I finally have the chance to do it."

Robertson's steely good looks and olive complexion are resonant of his Mohawk heritage. It's apparent through his calm, respectful nature that success has not spoiled him.