Redbone – Potlatch / Message From A Drum / Cycles (2017)

Triple album offering on two discs from this cult band of Native-American rooted musicians, whose two founder members started out working the trendy clubs of L.A. and then recruited the other two members in 1969 to form Redbone.

The following year the band – brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas, Tony Bellamy and Peter DePoe – dropping their self-titled debut album, which drew critical acclaim, following up with the more bluesy and rootsy album “Potlatch”.

Their third release, 1971’s “Message From A Drum” featured their sole UK chart hit, “Witch Queen Of New Orleans”. They released another three albums on Epic, before moving to the RCA label, where they put out the first of two albums, “Cycles”, in 1977. The first to be credited to Redbone featuring Pat & Lolly Vegas.

Three albums are included on this super double disc set – “Potlatch”, “Message From A Drum” and “Cycles”, a good reminder of how innovative this band were and are deserving of more attention and recognition. Jimi Hendrix was a big help to their career and a high profile supporter.

Redbone is accredited in the NY Smithsonian (where they were inducted in 2013) as the first Native American rock/Cajun group to have a No. 1 single in the United States and internationally.

They reached the Top 5 on the U.S. Billboard chart in 1974 with “Come and Get Your Love”, a single which achieved Gold status, selling more than half a million copies. Their other hits included “We Were All Wounded At Wounded Knee”, Wovoka”, and “Maggie”.

Redbone was inducted into the Native American Music Association Hall of Fame in 2008, In August 2014, Pat Vegas was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement “Legend” Award from the “West Coast American Indian Music Awards.” Lolly Vegas died in 2010 and Tony Bellamy died the previous year. The current line-up of Redbone features just one original member, Pat Vegas.

In 2014, “Come And Get Your Love” experienced a resurgence in popularity when it was featured in the Marvel Studios film Guardians of the Galaxy. It was also included on the film’s soundtrack album, which reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

In 2015, “Come And Get Your Love” was used as the intro theme to Netflix produced cartoon series “F is for Family”.