Martha Redbone | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 6, 1966 New York City |
| Origin | New York City, New York,[1] and Kentucky, United States |
| Genres | Rhythm and Blues, Folk and Soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, composer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Dome Records[2] |
| Website | martharedbone |
Martha Redbone (born 1966) is an American blues and soul singer, who has won awards for her contemporary music. Her music is a mix of rhythm and blues and soul music influences, fused with elements of Native American music.[3] She identifies as having Choctaw, Eastern Cherokee, and African-American ancestry. However Native American ancestry claims are unsubstantiated and her family tree has been shown to have no evidence of any Native American ancestors, nor is she a member of any tribal nation.[4]
Martha Redbone was born in 1966,[5] in New York City.[1] Martha spent time with her maternal grandparents in Harlan County. She wrote that she spent much of her childhood in Black Mountain, Kentucky, with her maternal grandmother, whom she identifies as being of Eastern Cherokee and Shawnee ancestry, and her maternal grandfather, whom she identifies as being of Black and Choctaw ancestry.[1] She wrote that she moved back to Brooklyn, New York, as a child, "but we went back to Kentucky often for ceremonies."[1]
Redbone became a musician and singer, combining music styles with Black American and Native American roots music. She began performing under the name Martha Redbone in 1996, using the nickname "Redbone" given to her by her father.[6] She was mentored by Junie Morrison of the Ohio Players and Parliament Funkadelic where she honed her skills as a professional songwriter and producer. Since bursting onto the scene at the 2002 Native American Music Awards, she has earned a reputation as a collaborator, performer, educator, and mentor across native North America and in some cases abroad. In early 2007, Redbone's Skintalk won The 6th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best R&B Album.[7]
Her 2012 work, The Garden of Love – Songs of William Blake, sets Blake's poetry to music that draws from rural influences of Appalachia: English folk, African American, and Native American traditions. She tours nationally with The Martha Redbone Roots Project.[8] The New York Times said her voice holds “both the taut determination of mountain music and the bite of American Indian singing.”[9]
