Today, Native American Music comes in many different forms. In light of the success of the previously mentioned Native-themed radio stations, many established artists, such as Robbie Robertson, Rita Coolidge and Buffy Sainte-Marie began to explore their native roots, developing a genre currently called Contemporary Native American Music.
Robbie Robertson (1944- ), was born in Canada to a Jewish father and Mohawk mother, and was exposed to his Native music during his childhood. While playing in Ronnie Hawkins' backup band, he caught the attention of Bob Dylan, who hired the whole band for his 1965-1966 world tour. Renaming themselves The Band, Robertson and his bandmates became a very successful act of the late 60's and 70's. In 1994, he returned to his roots and began working with a coalition of native musicians called the Red Road Ensemble and produced Music for the Native Americans, an album recorded for a documentary series that brought the music to a mass audience. Below, is a recording they did for the album, entitled "Ghost Dance":
Other members of the Red Road ensemble included female vocal trio Ulali. The trio is of mixed heritage (Tuscarora, Apache and Yaqui) and performs mainly traditional Native American folk songs and styles. Below is a song they recorded in vocables, "Mother":
Native American flute styles have become very popular in the New Age movement and have even been utilised by some modern classical composers. R. Carlos Nakai (1946- ) became one of the most popular Native American Flutists of the late 20th Century. He was the first person to play the cedar flute with a symphony orchestra, in James DeMars' Two World Concerto.
Hundreds of festivals are held around the country each year that showcase lesser-known Native American musicians. Below is an example of Plains Indians blending traditional music with modern instruments:
Among the younger generations of Native musicicans, Hip Hop has become the premier form of musical expression. The emergence of the Internet has provided native rappers with an effective method of distributing their music and fostering the growth of a pan-tribal hip hop community.
Litefoot (1969- ), of mixed Cherokee and Mexican descent, is one of the first Native American rappers to acheive success, calling his style Tribalistic Funk. He founded the Red Vinyl record label, has won six Native American Music Awards and has recently branched out into acting as well. Below is a recording from 1995, Indian Summer:
Rap group Tru Rez Crew have become one of the few Native American rap groups to gain chart success:
RedCloud scored a regional hit in Southern California with "Tapatio":
