Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of Wisconsin Public Television's
Director's Cut.
Tonight, we bring you a scarcely known chapter in American music:
The indigenous influence through the film
Rumble: The Indians who Rocked the World.
Rumble looks at how the deep roots of rock and roll
are entrenched in Native American culture
and the vast influence
this culture has had on the genre.
The film uses re-creations and seldom-heard stories,
in addition to concert footage, archives, and interviews
to give us a look at these iconic Native musicians
that helped create the soundtracks to our lives.
These stories are told by some
of the most legendary musicians of our generation including
Buddy Guy, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennett, and Steven Tyler.
The title Rumble comes from the song "Rumble" by Link Wray,
who, when he wrote the song, had no idea he would influence
future rock legends like Slash and Pete Townsend.
"Rumble" was the first song to use distortion and feedback
and created the "rock power chord."
The song was actually banned from the radio
for fear it would incite violence.
Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorama
co-directed this film.
Catherine Bainbridge says,
"The truth she wanted to expose in Rumble
is that the attempted erasure of Native American people,
their culture, and their music didn't work."
Rumble: the Indians who Rocked the World starts now
on Wisconsin Public Television,
your home for independent film.