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"More
spirit than man, yet more human than most, John Trudell is an
amazing artist. His vision is honest, pure and strong. He speaks
the truth and does it beautifully. His music has a heartbeat.
For a people with no voice—he is a man who will not be silenced."
- Angelina Jolie
 "My
goal is very simple. To communicate the human experience at a
level that human beings can recognize and relate to. That may
be a personal statement. It may be a political statement. But
whatever it is, is all comes from the same point of reference:
the experiences we share as peoples of this planet."
On
the subject of his extraordinary and acclaimed work as a recording
artist, poet and champion of indigenous issues, John Trudell is
as direct and plain spoken as the words he puts to music. A people's
poet in the truest sense of the term, John Trudell's potent imagery
and passionate convictions have established his reputation as
a spoken word artist whose international following reflects the
universal language of his music...and his message. Simply put,
John Trudell is the real deal.
Now,
with Bone Days, his brilliant new collection of
thirteen original compositions, John Trudell is poised to bring
his stunning soundscapes to a whole new audience. Recorded with
his longtime band, Bad Dog, and executive-produced by Angelina
Jolie, Academy Award winning actress and Goodwill Ambassador
to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Bone
Days marks a new chapter in the creative saga of one of
America's true originals, an artist Kris Kristofferson
once called, "a crazy lone wolf, poet, prophet, preacher,
warrior full of pain and fun and laughter and love...He's a reality
check. Justice is a fire that burns inside him. His spirit cries
out for it. It makes him dangerous."
The
dangerous poetry and visionary music of John Trudell was forged
by an extraordinary life, lived out in the heart of the land and
its people. Born of mixed tribal blood, John grew up in and around
the Santee Sioux reservation near his hometown of Omaha,
Nebraska. The struggle against economic and cultural deprivation
would, in time, become the raw material for his uncompromising
artistic vision.
Trudell,
a Vietnam Veteran, served in the U.S. Navy from 1963-1967, attended
college for a while and then dropped out. In 1969, Trudell participated
in the occupation of Alcatraz Island by Indians of All Tribes,
becoming a spokesman for Indians of All Tribes. After the Indians
of All Tribes occupation ended in 1971, Trudell worked with the
American Indian Movement, becoming national Chairman of
AIM in 1973. Trudell was chairman of AIM from 1973 until 1979.
In February of 1979, Trudell's mother-in-law, wife and three children
were killed in a fire of unknown origin.
It
was through this horrific tragedy, that Trudell began to find
his voice as an artist and poet, writing, in his words, "to
stay connected to this reality." "The lines were my
bombs," he continues, "my explosions, my tears."
In
April of 1979, Trudell met Jackson Browne. This meeting
led Trudell into the world of music. In 1982, with Jackson Browne's
help, John Trudell recorded Tribal Voice, a fusion
of poetry and traditional Native music, which was released on
cassette. In 1985, Trudell met legendary Kiowa guitarist and songwriter
Jesse Ed Davis. Together, they recorded Trudell's debut
album AKA Grafitti Man, with Trudell writing and
performing the spoken word vocals and Jesse writing and performing
the music. Released on cassette in 1986, it was dubbed "the
best album" of that year by none other than Bob Dylan.
AKA Grafitti Man served early notice of Trudell's
singular ability to express fundamental truths through a unique
mix of poetry, Native instrumentation and unfettered blues and
rock.
Trudell
recorded two more albums with Jesse Ed Davis before Davis' untimely
death in 1988 and would continue the work the pair had pioneered,
this time in partnership with Mark Shark, on such landmark early
90's releases as Fables and Other Realities and
Child's Voice: Children Of The Earth. A touring
stint with Australia's incendiary Midnight Oil and roles
in the feature films Thunderheart and Smoke
Signals and the documentary Incident at Oglala
helped spread the word of the artist's multi-faceted talents,
as did a 1992 rerecording of AKA Grafitti Man, this
time produced by Jackson Browne. Released on Rykodisc, the album
was dubbed by Rolling Stone Magazine "a moving, shape-shifting
rock & roll treatise on the state of the world." Two
years later, Trudell would return with Johnny Damas &
Me and, in 1999, released the acclaimed Blue Indians,
once again produced by Browne. The album, remarked Parke Puterbaugh,
in Rolling Stone, "is an affecting marriage of tribal rhythms,
traditional chanting, modern musical backdrops and Trudell's penetrating
poetics."
With
material that spans nearly the whole of his writing career, Bone
Days is, indeed, a testament to the essential qualities
that put Trudell's art in a category of one. "There are pieces
I included here from way back in the early 80's, like 'Crazy Horse'
and 'Nothing In Her Eyes.' Then there are pieces like 'Undercurrent'
that we finished in the recording studio. I see it all as part
of a continuing process. The words and the music all come from
the same place. In my mind they exist in their own time."
The
proof of Trudell's contention is on dazzling display with Bone
Days, recorded over a two-week period earlier this year
in Los Angeles. Stirring calls-to-arms such as "Crazy Horse,"
are contrasted to such deeply felt reflections as "Undercurrent."
Which, in turn, yield to the scathing indictment of such key tracks
as "Hanging From The Cross" and "Carry The Stone."
Throughout, Trudell's alternately haunting, humorous and harrowing
poetry is under girded by Bad Dog's apt and able musical settings.
Bone Days is, indeed, an album of timely urgency...and timeless
beauty.
"Some
people call me a poet," John Trudell concludes. "Others
say I'm an activist. Some say my poetry and music is political.
Others say it's about the spirit of my people." He laughs.
"I don't buy into any of those labels. I may be a little
bit of all those things, but I'm more than any of them. We all
are. That's what makes us human."
In
the case of John Trudell, it's also what makes him an artist.
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John
Trudell - Trudell
A chronicle of legendary Native American poet/activist John
Trudell's travels, spoken word performances and politics.
From the late 1960's occupation of Alcaraz Island to the
current international stage of politics and performance,
Heather Rae's provocative and poignant film reveals the
essence of a true American original.
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