Indigenous rocker Robbie Robertson dies at 80
Miles Morrisseau
ICT
Legendary Indigenous musician and songwriter Robbie Robertson, who defined a genre of music before it even had a name, died Wednesday, Aug. 9, in Los Angeles at 80.
His publicist Ray Costa stated that Robertson died “after a long illness.”
“Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine, and Delphine’s partner Kenny. He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donavan, Dominic, Gabriel, and Seraphina,” the Robertson family posted to social media.
As lead guitarist and songwriter for The Band, Robertson, who is from the Six Nations of the Grand River in Canada, reshaped American music with such classics as "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."
The Band created the blueprint for everyone from Bruce Springsteen to R.E.M to Mumford and Sons. In recent years the term Americana has encompassed every rock-n-roll and country music sound that blends contemporary and traditional roots music from blues to bluegrass with virtuoso playing and gorgeous harmonies.
Stevie Van Zandt, of Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, posted, “RIP Robbie Robertson. A good friend and a genius. This Band’s music shocked the excess out of the Renaissance and were an essential part of the final back-to-the-roots trend of ‘60’s. He was an underrated brilliant guitar player adding greatly to Bob Dylan’s best tour and album.”
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Dylan posted the sad news on Twitter, now X.
“This is shocking news," he said. "Robbie was a lifelong friend. His passing leaves a vacancy in the world.”
Brian Wright-McLeod, who wrote "The Encyclopedia of Native Music," told ICT that Robertson made an important mark on the world of music.
"Robbie's contributions were incalculable with releasing such dynamic Indigenous-focused projects such as Music for the Native Americans that showcased a stellar lineup of players from the Native music scene, thus raising their profiles in a new and broader way," Wright-McLeod said.
Another album, "Contact from the Underworld of Redboy," presented the case of American Indian Movement Activist Leonard Peltier and drew attention to the case to a new audience, Wright-McLeod said.
"Since his 1987 first self-titled album, Robbie began to compose Indigenous-based 'anthems' such as 'Showdown at [Big] Sky' with a video release that foreshadowed the 1990 Oka Crisis in Quebec," he said. "He was no stranger to film including soundtrack work on the 1988 movie 'Powwow Highway' which included solo guitar by Jesse Ed Davis (Kiowa/Comanche). Robbie was also an important influence on many indigenous guitarists like Davis and Derek Miller (Mohawk).
"His passing is not only a great loss but his talent and influence represents a golden era of Indigenous music," Wright-McLeod said.
Profound influence
From their years as Bob Dylan's masterful backing group to their own stardom as embodiments of old-fashioned community and virtuosity, The Band profoundly influenced popular music in the 1960s and '70s first by literally amplifying Dylan's polarizing transition from folk artist to rock star and then by absorbing the works of Dylan and Dylan's influences as they fashioned a new sound immersed in the American past.
Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones posted, “Such sad news about Robbie Robertson – he was a lovely man, a great friend and will be dearly missed.” Former President Bill Clinton posted, “Robbie Robertson was a brilliant songwriter, guitarist and composer whose gifts changed music forever.”
Robertson recently completed his fourteenth film music project with frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
“Robbie Robertson was one of my closest friends, a constant in my life and my work. I could always go to him as a confidante. A collaborator. An advisor. I tried to be the same for him. Long before we ever met, his music played a central role in my life. M and millions and millions of other people all over this world,” stated Scorsese who documented The Band’s final concerts in what many consider the greatest rock n roll documentary, “The Last Waltz.” “The Band's music and Robbie’s own later solo music seemed to come from the deepest place at the heart of this continent, its traditions and tragedies and joys. It goes without saying that he was a giant that his effect on the art form was profound and lasting. There's never enough time with anyone you love. And I loved Robbie.”
There was something that separated Robertson from the rest of his peers; he had a grasp of stories and songs from the roots of America that was beyond his contemporaries. He felt connected to the deepest roots of music that stretched beyond the boundaries of the country of his birth and were buried deep in the spirit of the land. When he came back to making records, he began to dig into his own past to create his next generation of music.
His legacy in the foundation of contemporary music is definitive but his contribution to the evolving sound of Indigenous music is less known but just as apparent. In the years following the breakup of the The Band, Robertson went Hollywood with a well received performance in the little seen “Carny” with Jodi Foster, but it was his music that again created his own space. Working with Scorsese he composed music for the director’s most influential work including “Raging Bull,” “Gangs of New York” and “The Departed.’
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Indigenous stars turned out for a special event honoring Native film and performers at the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on Nov. 6, 2021. Among those attending were, from left, Oscar winner Buffy Sainte-Marie, Academy Trustee Ray Halbritter of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York, actors Wes Studi and Tantoo Cardinal, and musician and songwriter Robbie Robertson. (Photo courtesy of The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures)
In 1987, more than 10 years after the "Last Waltz," Robertson released his eponymously titled solo debut and within the lyrics a tale untold was beginning to unfold. “Who else is going to bring you a broken arrow? Who else is going to bring you a bottle of rain” he asks on the song, "Broken Arrow." In the album's final track "Testimony," he declares his intention to not only make music but claim his identity.
“Bear witness, I'm wailing like the wind
Come bear witness, the half-breed rides again”
Despite these whispers in the words there was a spirit in the music that spoke to the Indigenous reality and two songs from the album became central to the soundscape of one of the iconic films of contemporary Indigenous cinema, “Powwow Highway.”
For Gary Farmer, who starred in the film, it was the beginning of a relationship that was built not just on music but the fact that they both called Six Nations of the Grand River home.
“I just found out and just turned on my computer after my goodbye. Taking it pretty hard, we were going to honor Robbie this fall at the Santa Fe International Film Festival and will continue to honor him this October 18-22,” Farmer told ICT soon after hearing the news. “I was so looking forward to seeing him once again. Robbie over the years got in the habit of reaching out and catching up on matters of home on Six Nations along the Grand River and New Credit of the Mississauga.”
"He was there on my ascent into the film world with ‘Powwow Highway’ as Philbert Bono, Whirlwind Dreamer,” said Farmer referencing his character from the film. “I am so grateful for my time with Robbie and his music will play in my heart for the rest of my days."
On his follow-up record Storyville, Robertson turns his eyes and ears to the city of New Orleans, long considered the birthplace of Jazz and swampy southern blues. In the song “Go Back To Your Woods,” Robertson refers to Indigenous people bringing their own sound to the streets.
“Downtown, them Injuns coming
And we comin' from way back, way back
We got fire on the bayou
Injuns, here they come from the reservations
Here they come, here they come”
In 1994, Robertson took a deep dive into Indigenous music across Turtle Island when he produced music for “The Native Americans,” which accompanied the TBS series. He formed a group of Indigenous musicians whom he dubbed the Red Road Ensemble. The album is a mix of traditional and contemporary styles and artists working in very traditional styles such as Douglas Spotted Eagle or the pop sound of Kashtin. His son Sebastian and daughter Delphine contributed as members of the ensemble. The album is essential with tracks like “Golden Feather,” “It’s a Good Day to Die” and “Skinwalkers.”
His 1998 album “Contact from the Underworld of Redboy” was another bold step in his musical evolution. On that album he worked with digital sounds and electronic music while continuing to expand the vocabulary of Indigenous music. It received Canada’s top music award, the Juno for Best Aboriginal Canada recording.
Robertson is featured In the documentary “Rumble – The Indians Who Rocked the World.” Executive producer of the documentary, Stevie Salas, said he just reached out to Robertson to see if he would perform at the Hall of Fame event to celebrate recent Indigenous inductee Link Wray.
“I reached out two days ago to Robbie and his manager Jared to invite them to a party we are having in NYC at The HardRock Hotel the night before the RnR HOF induction ceremony to celebrate Link Wray getting in,” Salas told ICT. “So today this news was beyond a shock.”
Salas says that Robertson said that he was careful about how much of his identity he shared in those early days when anti-Indigenous racism was everywhere.
“Robbie didn’t have to hide his Mohawk blood but he told me his mother said to him, ‘be proud of who you are but be careful who you tell.’ So when he was young he let the music do the talking but when he got older he made sure the world knew who he really was,” Salas shared. “ He was a musician, an artist and a Native American and he was living proof for us all to know that anything is possible.”
In 2002, Robertson led members of his Red Road Ensemble as a representative of five Utah Indigenous nations that performed at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games in Salt Lake City. It was an especially dramatic moment in the nation's history as the games came just five months after the 9/11 attacks.
He was inducted into the Canadian Juno Hall of Fame in 1989. In 1994, The Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2003, he was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Six Nations of the Grand River to support the new Woodland Cultural Centre.
*Update: The story has been updated to include additional response and tributes to Robbie Robertson.
This article contains material from The Associated Press.
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