Independent Lens: RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World

This film looks at the role of Native Americans in popular music history.

RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World brings to light a profound and missing chapter in the history of American music: the Indigenous influence. Featuring music icons Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, Jesse Ed Davis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson, Randy Castillo, and Taboo, RUMBLE shows how these pioneering Native musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives. RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World airs Saturday, November 24 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Eli Carr started playing music at the kitchen table with his pops. It was bluegrass, old country, and gospel tunes. He learned chords from his father, and began writing music soon after. His music heroes – Jim Croce, John Prine, Steve Goodman. "I really wanna bring back that old 60s 70s solo artist sound," he explains. "The lyrics are the main soul of my music I would say. Reliving old memories, and describing today's scenes are what I like to do."