BUDDY RED BOW "Journey To The Spirit World (Wica Nagi Makoce Ekta Oicimani Wan)"

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Buddy Red Bow Biography by Eugene Chadbourne

Buddy Red Bow is a Native American musical legend whose memory often evokes emotional responses from fans of this genre. He was not the first to take a solidly Anglo form of musical expression -- the folk protest song and country & western music -- and use it to express the concerns of the Indian nations. Surely he had learned from previous masters such as Peter La Farge, Floyd Westerman, and Buffy Saint-Marie, yet Red Bow was somehow a voice of a new generation, a reality confirmed by actions as well as songs. He is remembered not only as a musician, but as a Lakota activist in on the Red Power movement early on, one of the first to become involved in the Ghost Dance movement, and so on. His songs seem to have taken root in the hearts of his fans in a special way, although it goes hand in hand with a feeling that in the end he somehow did not live up to his potential.

He recorded three albums, beginning in 1984 with a self-titled debut that had a such a strong country flavor that forever after he was most often referred to as a country artist. This may not have been such a problem as country & western has always been one of the most popular Anglo musics among aboriginal people, in Australia as well as the United States. (Down under, Hank Williams is the most-selected artists on aboriginal jukeboxes.) Red Bow's second recorded work, Journey to the Spirit World, remains a favorite of many listeners. It features songs and stories that he remembered learning from his elders and incorporates singing in both English and the Lakota language. His final work was the beautiful, eloquent Black Hills Dreamer, which featured two of his most famous songs, "Run, Indian, Run" and "Indian Love Song." A posthumous collection of favorites from each of these records, Indian Reservation has also been released. Several of his songs were also featured on the soundtrack to Hard Rider, which was not the opposite of Easy Rider, but a documentary on rodeo riders in Alberta and Saskatchewan. He was among the first group of artists to be inducted in the NAMA (Native American Music Awards) Hall of Fame, alongside Jimi Hendrix, who apparently had Cherokee as well as purple haze in his blood.

He has had a few small film parts, such as a walk-on in Thunderheart, but will mostly be remembered in the world of cinema for Pow Wow Highway, in which there is a character named Buddy Red Bow that is partially, if not totally, based on the famous singer. At first considered one of the best films about Native Americans, the film seems to have been the victim of a late critical backlash, in which one writer claimed the depiction of Red Bow made him "cringe."

Journey to the Spirit World Review by Thom Owens

Buddy Red Bow was a native American storyteller and folk musician, passing down songs and stories throughout the ages. Most of the very best stories are contained on Journey to the Spirit World, one of the few records Bow made when he was alive. Though the album suffers from a too-contemporary production -- there was no need to add synthesizers to the mix -- the stories and Bow's heartfelt delivery make it a worthwhile addition to any cowboy or folk fan's library.

Buddy Red Bow – Journey To The Spirit World (Wica Nagi Makoce Ekta Oicimani Wan)

Buddy Red Bow - Journey To The Spirit World (Wica Nagi Makoce Ekta Oicimani Wan) album cover

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Label: Tatanka Records – TLP-101

Format:

Vinyl, LP, Album

Country: US

Released: 1983

Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country

Style: Folk

A1 Arrival 3:07

A2 Journey To The Spirit World 6:25

A3 Where's Ben Black Elk Today 5:15

A4 My Friend, The Buffalo 3:08

A5 Run, Indian, Run 3:45

B1 Introduction

Narrator – Buddy Red Bow, Stephen Red Bow

Written-By – Dik Darnell

1:20

B2 Wounded Knee 7:36

B3 Indian Love Song 3:55

B4 Thunder Bird 4:10

B5 Departure 0:42

Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Tatanka Records & Tapes

Copyright © – Tatanka Records & Tapes

Mastered At – Allen Zentz Mastering

Published By – Wambli Music

Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals – Dick Orleans

Backing Vocals – Carla Sciaky, Robert Johnson (20)

Bass – Bob Abbott

Drums, Percussion – Larry Thompson (3)

Electric Guitar, Soloist – Steve Sykes

Engineer, Mixed By – Andy Smith (21), Dik Darnell

Flute [Indian] – Kevin Locke

Layout [Art], Design – Willy Matthews

Mastered By – Allen Zentz, Brian Gardener*

Painting [Original Painting] – Ed Two Bulls

Piano – Jerome Gilmer

Producer, Arranged By, Synthesizer, Guitar – Dik Darnell

Songwriter [Songs By], Lead Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Red Bow

Synthesizer – Paul Vastola

Translated By [Lakota / English Translations] – Mathew Two Bulls

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 NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.

VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.

VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.

GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.

POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.