John Trudell
Born and raised on the Santee Sioux Reservation, on the border of Nebraska and South Dakota, Native-American poet and activist John Trudell spent the majority of the 1970s as the national chairman of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Trudell left Native-American politics in 1979 after his wife, mother-in-law, and three children were killed in a fire at their home on a reservation in Nevada. The fire, which Trudell was convinced was no accident, came just 12 hours after he had set fire to the American flag on the steps of the FBI Building in Washington D.C.
Trudell began reciting his poetry in public appearances and eventually, encouraged by musician friends like Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt, released a cassette of his poetry backed by traditional Indian chants and drums. When he met guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, Trudell found the collaborator he had been looking for to compose music to back his poetry.
In 1986, with Davis, he put out a self-produced cassette entitled Original A.K.A. Grafitti Man which Bob Dylan called the best album of the year. Trudell's musical career was put on hold two years later, following Davis' death from a drug overdose, before teaming with guitarist Mark Shark to record another cassette of rock & roll and poetry, Tribal Voice (Beautiful Fables and Other Realities).
Rykodisc signed Trudell in 1992 following a tour opening for Midnight Oil. The subsequent record, also called A.K.A. Grafitti Man, features re-recorded songs from his self-released cassettes, saving Davis' preexisting guitar parts. The album also features collaborations with Davis, Shark, and Native-American vocalist Quiltman, and was produced by Jackson Browne. Trudell, with help from Shark and Quiltman, released a follow-up entitled Johnny Damas and Me for Rykodisc in 1994. Five years later, Trudell tweaked his poetic nature for Blue Indians. Nothing short of traditional vocal chants and rhythmic worldbeats, Blue Indians was a critical success. The new millennium saw a continuation of Trudell's deep reflections of his Native-American heritage. In 2002, he issued Bone Days on Amy Ray's Daemon Records and more passionate and inquisitive pieces of work surrounding politics and social issues.
© Brett Hartenbach /TiVo
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Discography
18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Wazi's Dream
Literature - Released by John Trudell & Bad Dog on 28 jul. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bone Days
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by John Trudell on 1 jan. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blue Indians
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Inside Recordings on 1 jan. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Johnny Damas And Me
Rock - Released by Ryko - Rhino on 1 mrt. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
DNA: Descendant Now Ancestor
Noord-Amerika - Released by Effective Records on 1 jan. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Like Broken Butterflies
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by JOHN TRUDELL & KWEST on 20 jan. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Heart Jump Bouquet
Blues - Released by John Trudell on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Madness & the Moremes
Literature - Released by John Trudell on 9 okt. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Give Love, Give Life
Literature - Released by John Trudell on 31 dec. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Through the Dust
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Knackeboul Entertainement GmbH on 11 apr. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Crazier Than Hell
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by John Trudell & Bad Dog on 15 feb. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tribal Voice
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by John Trudell on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
AKA Grafitti Man (Original 1986 Version)
Blues - Released by John Trudell on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fables And Other Realities
Blues - Released by John Trudell on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Children Of Earth (Childs Voice)
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by John Trudell on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
But This Isn't El Salvador
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by John Trudell on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo