The feature documentary film, Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend, in Park City, Utah. Produced by Rezolution Pictures, it tells the story of a profound, essential, and, until now, missing chapter in the history of American music: the Indigenous influence.
Many artists and musical forms played a role in the creation of rock, but arguably no single piece of music was more influential than the 1958 instrumental, “Rumble,” by American Indian rock guitarist, and singer/songwriter, Link Wray. Father of the Delta Blues, Charley Patton, influential jazz singer, Mildred Bailey, metaphysical guitar wizard, Jimi Hendrix, and folk heroine, Buffy Sainte-Marie are among the many music greats who have Native American heritage and have made their distinctive mark on music history. For the most part, their Indian heritage was unknown.
Using playful re-creations and little-known stories, alongside concert footage, archives
and interviews, the stories of these iconic Native musicians are told by some of America’s
greatest music legends. Artists who knew them, played music with them, and were inspired by them.
A laundry list of music artists, historians, family members, and experts participate in
the film, including: Buddy Guy, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Bennett, Taj Mahal, Cyril Neville, Ivan Neville, John Trudell, David Fricke (Rolling Stone Magazine), Steven Tyler, Taboo (Black Eyed Peas), Derek Trucks, Guy Davis, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Monk Boudreaux, Pura Fe Crescioni (Ulali), Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan), Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops), Pat Vegas (Redbone), Robbie Robertson, and many others.
Executive Producers, Stevie Salas, and Tim Johnson inspired the creation of Rumble, through their exhibit, “Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians In Popular Culture,” at the National Museum of the American Indian, a part of the Smithsonian Institution.
Directed by Catherine Bainbridge, and co-directed by Alfonso Maiorana, Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, will be featured at Sundance on the following dates and times:
World Premiere – Sunday, January 22nd, at 9:00 PM – Yarrow Hotel Theatre, Park City
Tuesday, January 24th, at 3:30 PM – Redstone Cinema 1, Park City
Thursday, January 26th, at 6:00 PM – Library Center Theatre, Park City
Friday, January 27th, at Midnight – Broadway Centre Cinema 6, Salt Lake City
Saturday, January 28th, at 11:30 AM – Holiday Village Cinema 1, Park City, with a press and industry screening on Monday, January 23rd at 5:30 PM – Holiday Village Cinema 1, Park City
