The music world is steadily getting better at acknowledging the contributions of the best and brightest Native American and First Nation’s artists. This past year, more than just a few indigenous artists made their mark with awards, new videos and albums… and even an appearance on the Grammy’s by the world-renowned drum group Northern Cree. Here are nine Native artists well-deserving of inclusion onto the Indian Country 2017 Music Hot List.
Northern Cree
Few would argue that Northern Cree, one of the most pre-eminent drum groups known across Turtle Island, whose performance at the Grammy’s went viral on social media, deserves mention here. The group was founded in 1982, when the Wood brothers of Saddle Lake, Alberta, Canada, lost all their money in a stick game tournament and needed to earn money to travel back home. When performing at a museum the following day at a pow wow and asked their name, “Northern Cree” was written on the drum. Thirty five years and seven Grammy nominations later, this Canyon Records giant was awarded a 2017 Indigenous Music Award for Best Hand Drum as well as a 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Shawnee Talbot
Shawnee Talbot is a Mohawk, Six Nations Grande River musician who has appeared on Disney TV, Canadian Idol, and the Glass Tigers Canadian tour, where she shared the stage with Lady GaGa, Roxette, and Tegan and Sara. Shawnee released her latest video, Warrior Heart on June 19th. “It’s been a long time in the making,” Talbot told us this year about her video. “I am also excited to work with youth. It is important for me to feature our Native youth and our culture through dancing.”
Tanya Tagaq and Buffy Sainte-Marie
In February 2017, Native music icons and Polaris prize winners Buffy Sainte-Marie and Tanya Tagaq released a music video titled, You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind). The video, which has over 80,000 hits on YouTube, was inspired by champion dogsled racer George Attla, who competed in the first Iditarod dog sled race in 1973, finished in fourth place and was the subject of the 1979 film, Spirit Of The Wind. “[The video performance] reminded me of growing up in Nunavut,” explained Tanya Tagaq on the Polaris Prize site. “Sometimes when things get difficult you have to pick yourself up; you can’t let things bring you down. You could take it to be an anti-suicide message. I really appreciate its powerful lyrics.”
Jade Turner
Jade Turner (Red Seal Millwright from Misipawistik Cree Nation) is a Canadian country artist who received two nominations at the Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards in 2013 for her album Thanks to You, and brought home the 2017 Best Country Album trophy from the Indigenous Music Awards for her latest album North Country. Turner told the IMAs, “I hope when people listen to this album that it puts them in a good mood.”
DJ Shub
Award-winning music producer DJ Shub (Six Nations Mohawk) just took home the 2017 Best Instrumental Album for PowWowStep at the IMAs. But before this major grab, DJ Shub managed to put a few JUNO Awards and Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards on his shelf…and a slew of DJ competition wins. In November of 2016, and in conjunction with his PowWowStep EP release at the same time, he released the music video, Indomitable, which featured Northern Cree, and has more than 180,000 hits.
Tony Duncan
Tony Duncan has been performing with hoops for more than 20 years, and is a fivetime World Champion Hoop Dancer, an internationally recognized Native flute player and an artist that appeared on MTV, The Tonight Show and performed twice for former First Lady Laura Bush. Despite all that, the strongest reason for his inclusion on this list is that in-between appearances live and in music videos with Nelly Furtado, he just released his latest album, Purify, from Canyon Records. Using what he has learned from flute masters such as R. Carlos Nakai and John Rainer Jr, and his father, Ken Duncan, a noted Apache storyteller from Arizona, Duncan said, “The flute is a way of healing and way to bring yourself into balance and peace.”
Kristi Lane Sinclair
Mixing many genres, including grunge, folk and classical, Haida/Cree singer-songwriter Kristi Lane Sinclair took home best Rock Album for 2017 at this year’s IMAs with her album, Dark Matter. Sinclair also has a six-part documentary series airing on APTN, Face the Music, which follows her as she tours behind her latest album.
Logan Staats
Logan Staats did well at the IMAs with two wins for his album Goodbye Goldia. He received the Best Folk Album award and, thanks to the work of Mohawk producer Derek Miller, shared a second win for Best Producer/Engineer. Enjoying his role as a First Nations folk artist, Staats says on Facebook: “I don’t know about you guys and gals but I wouldn’t change who I am and who we are! We’re here to stay so let’s keep the movement going!”
