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Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band
Experience the riveting, powerful story of the Native American civil rights movement and the resulting struggle for identity told through the high-flying career of west coast rock n' roll pioneers Redbone.
You've heard the hit song "Come and Get Your Love" in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, but the story of the band behind it is one of cultural, political, and social importance.
Brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas were talented Native American rock musicians that took the 1960s Sunset Strip by storm. They influenced The Doors and jammed with Jimmy Hendrix before he was "Jimi," and the idea of a band made up of all Native Americans soon followed. Determined to control their creative vision and maintain their cultural identity, they eventually signed a deal with Epic Records in 1969. But as the American Indian Movement gained momentum the band took a stand, choosing pride in their ancestry over continued commercial reward.
Created with the cooperation of the Vegas family, authors Christian Staebler and Sonia Paolini with artist Thibault Balahy take painstaking steps to ensure the historical accuracy of this important and often overlooked story of America's past. Part biography and part research journalism, Redbone provides a voice to a people long neglected in American history.
You've heard the hit song "Come and Get Your Love" in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, but the story of the band behind it is one of cultural, political, and social importance.
Brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas were talented Native American rock musicians that took the 1960s Sunset Strip by storm. They influenced The Doors and jammed with Jimmy Hendrix before he was "Jimi," and the idea of a band made up of all Native Americans soon followed. Determined to control their creative vision and maintain their cultural identity, they eventually signed a deal with Epic Records in 1969. But as the American Indian Movement gained momentum the band took a stand, choosing pride in their ancestry over continued commercial reward.
Created with the cooperation of the Vegas family, authors Christian Staebler and Sonia Paolini with artist Thibault Balahy take painstaking steps to ensure the historical accuracy of this important and often overlooked story of America's past. Part biography and part research journalism, Redbone provides a voice to a people long neglected in American history.
141 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2019
56 people are currently reading
1441 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 294 reviews
November 23, 2023
Wow - I had no idea how involved Redbone was with the American Indian Movement - AIM - and how their political activism was used by the music industry to deny them a wider audience. Even as their music charted in Europe music industry executives in America tried to silence their voice when it spoke of the struggle AIM was facing. This talented rock band stood up for their rights; even though it cost them commercial success. Will remember this story every time I hear their biggest hit - Come and Get Your Love - highest recommendation.
January 16, 2021
A graphic biography/history of a seventies all-Native-American rock group called Redbone that weaves back and forth between the group and the Native American history they became associated with. In the US they are known as a “one hit wonder” group because of this song,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RUAl...
which, when I played it, was named by teenagers in this house within six or seven notes as having been featured in a Guardians of the Galaxy film, which I now have have also re-viewed, as a result. This is what happens if you live in a house with teenagers: “We have to watch it, bruh, right now!”
It--the book--is pretty disjointed, kind of like the fan scrapbook it essentially is, but if you know little about twentieth century Native-American history you get sort of introduced to these important political events. In other words, the authors sort of assume you know about these things--the occupation of Alcatraz from 1969 - 1971, Wounded Knee in 1973. But Redbone was part of that history, and so we see a little into how they fit into AIM (American Indian Movement) and the protest at Wounded Knee.
The art work is also sort of patchwork, usually panel-less, then suddenly paneled, then not.moving around, ending with growing up; I like the coloring, and maybe the best thing I can say about the art is that it feels a little, like I said, like a scrapbook, where you get to meet Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, see billings for concerts; a kind of colorful, energetic dreamscape from a son and a fanboy (the creators) where you don’t dig too deeply into the band as people, but get to admire their political commitments.
This book is a love-fest, honoring these guys who were not so popular in the US as they were in Europe, and particularly in the Netherlands (!?). For instance, this song hit number one on the Dutch pop cheats and didn’t even chart in the US:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VB2L...
I was reminded when I read it of Sherman Alexie’s Reservation Blues, which is a novel/homage to the connections between Native American rock, the blues, and political commitments. The novel follows the story of the rise and fall of Coyote Springs, a rock and blues band of Spokane Indians from the Spokane Reservation who meet American blues musician Robert Johnson.
Anyway, Redbone is good, fun, especially if you like comics stories about (what now seem as) obscure rock bands. The distinctive thing here is that they were Native American and politically committed. It’s for me a three star book that I bump to four to encourage people to learn about the band, listen to some of the music, and delve into the history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RUAl...
which, when I played it, was named by teenagers in this house within six or seven notes as having been featured in a Guardians of the Galaxy film, which I now have have also re-viewed, as a result. This is what happens if you live in a house with teenagers: “We have to watch it, bruh, right now!”
It--the book--is pretty disjointed, kind of like the fan scrapbook it essentially is, but if you know little about twentieth century Native-American history you get sort of introduced to these important political events. In other words, the authors sort of assume you know about these things--the occupation of Alcatraz from 1969 - 1971, Wounded Knee in 1973. But Redbone was part of that history, and so we see a little into how they fit into AIM (American Indian Movement) and the protest at Wounded Knee.
The art work is also sort of patchwork, usually panel-less, then suddenly paneled, then not.moving around, ending with growing up; I like the coloring, and maybe the best thing I can say about the art is that it feels a little, like I said, like a scrapbook, where you get to meet Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, see billings for concerts; a kind of colorful, energetic dreamscape from a son and a fanboy (the creators) where you don’t dig too deeply into the band as people, but get to admire their political commitments.
This book is a love-fest, honoring these guys who were not so popular in the US as they were in Europe, and particularly in the Netherlands (!?). For instance, this song hit number one on the Dutch pop cheats and didn’t even chart in the US:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VB2L...
I was reminded when I read it of Sherman Alexie’s Reservation Blues, which is a novel/homage to the connections between Native American rock, the blues, and political commitments. The novel follows the story of the rise and fall of Coyote Springs, a rock and blues band of Spokane Indians from the Spokane Reservation who meet American blues musician Robert Johnson.
Anyway, Redbone is good, fun, especially if you like comics stories about (what now seem as) obscure rock bands. The distinctive thing here is that they were Native American and politically committed. It’s for me a three star book that I bump to four to encourage people to learn about the band, listen to some of the music, and delve into the history.
June 1, 2024
A unique and powerful story in a graphic novel form and one I had never heard of! It's the story of "Redbone,"the band made up of all Native Americans, based on the experiences of Pat Vegas, founding member of the group. The group seems to have been more popular in Europe than in the US. In fact, this story is translated from the French.
A definitely neglected chapter of American history. And, anyway, I like a good story about a rock band!
A definitely neglected chapter of American history. And, anyway, I like a good story about a rock band!
June 6, 2020
The story of a Native American rock group, flirting with major success but pulling back to become more active in the civil rights movement, should have made for a great story. But this graphic novel version isn't, for the reasons caused by several stumbling blocks. The biggest was a host of actual stumbles – the design, where images bleed into each other with no panel separation or guttering, added to the speech bubbles just thrown at the page as if it didn't matter we've got a century-old grammar of how they're supposed to be presented, meant on nearly every page I was tripping over things, and finding I was reading sentences in the wrong order. The text isn't all that great either, high on the exposition and the unrealistic dialogue that forces the story on to the page. It's also very name-droppy, too – they taught The Doors all they knew, a young Jimmy Hendrix admitted it was brave to be a Native American rocker, but at least whitey would always think them Mexican… In the end, this failed for me – presenting it the way they do, in a world without green as well, was a big turn-off. Which for such an important story is a whole host of wrong. One and a half stars.
October 25, 2020
I imagine if you're a redbone fan, this might be right up your street. However, for me, I struggled with the art style and the storytelling, and while I thought their story was fascinating, especially as I knew very little about Redbone, the way it was told made it hard to follow. Some panels have text on both sides that need to be read in a certain order, and while I am not a graphic novel expert, I have read a fair few by now and know how to navigate them, so this is definitely a problem unique to this one.
While I enjoyed the history and thought the interweaving of Redbone's history with Native American history was very clever and a great way to learn more about Native American history, I did not find myself invested in the story being told. I'm not sure if the format for this was the wrong way to tell the story, or if i was the wrong audience, but I think this had so much potential and just fell flat.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review.
While I enjoyed the history and thought the interweaving of Redbone's history with Native American history was very clever and a great way to learn more about Native American history, I did not find myself invested in the story being told. I'm not sure if the format for this was the wrong way to tell the story, or if i was the wrong audience, but I think this had so much potential and just fell flat.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review.
November 28, 2020
I love reading thematically and this was the most Thanksgiving themed read I was able to find at the library. And yes, I know, the meaning of Thanksgiving has been perverted somewhere down the line into the lamentable excuse of a celebration it is today, fostered by familial guilt (yeah, it’s guilt, if people wanted to spend time with their extended families like that, the night before it wouldn’t be the largest drinking night of the year) and tailored to commerce (ready, set, go Black Friday the next day). So much so that few pause to think about the staggering audacity of a country inventing a way to celebrate genocide with gluttony.
In fact, US doesn’t really like talking about the genocide of Native Americans at all, whether it’s securing its reputation for the world’s fattest country or not, but fortunately we live in a day and age when minorities do get to be heard, even if subsequently ignored. And so books like these go a long way to educate and represent. Also, entertain, since this is genuinely a good story. A story of a Native American music band that actually made it, for a while anyway, got famous and all.
And if you’re thinking…well, not that famous, I’ve never heard of them…well, you actually have. You know that song Come and Get Your Love…from superhero movies or from the start credits sequence of F is for Family. Well, that’s by Redbone. They also did a great tune Poison Ivy, you might be familiar with. Personally, I’d no idea who those songs were by, now I’m definitely gonna look up more of their music.
So yeah, pretty groovy. And not just those songs, the band had a proper career, built up slowly and authentically and then signed by Epic in 1969. Originally, the members were billed as Mexicans, but they wanted to represent their people and found a way to do so. Vocally. Literally. At a time when such things just weren’t done. That’s pretty awesome.
Of course, as any behind the music episode will tell you, these things don’t last, but nevertheless in a business as profoundly ephemeral as music industry, Redbone did well for themselves, had a number of well received albums, toured the world, created songs you can still enjoy decades later. And, of course, crucially, raised awareness of and furthered the political causes for Native Americans.
So naturally this all makes for a great story. Like some sort of synesthesia inspired experiment, this is art talking about music. It works well, it really does. The basic structure is one of reminiscence, looking back from the present day perspective in a chronologically chaptered fashion on the before, during and after of the life of the band. The story is interesting and told well, but the art might be the real star of the show here, such terrific panels, great use of color and different styles, it goes from pop art to watercolors to sketches to proper comic style drawings. Love the way the artist did the combinations, faces within a face, or dancers extending from the musicians, difficult to explain in words, picture’s worth a thousand of them. It just looked great, kind of looked like music sounds. Also, absolutely terrific portraiture. Pure art.
So yeah, themed to a celebration theoretically based on gratitude not calories, I’d like to thank the library for, in its recently found zeal for inclusivity, acquiring this book and the artists behind the music, words and art for bringing this excellent and important story to life. Recommended.
In fact, US doesn’t really like talking about the genocide of Native Americans at all, whether it’s securing its reputation for the world’s fattest country or not, but fortunately we live in a day and age when minorities do get to be heard, even if subsequently ignored. And so books like these go a long way to educate and represent. Also, entertain, since this is genuinely a good story. A story of a Native American music band that actually made it, for a while anyway, got famous and all.
And if you’re thinking…well, not that famous, I’ve never heard of them…well, you actually have. You know that song Come and Get Your Love…from superhero movies or from the start credits sequence of F is for Family. Well, that’s by Redbone. They also did a great tune Poison Ivy, you might be familiar with. Personally, I’d no idea who those songs were by, now I’m definitely gonna look up more of their music.
So yeah, pretty groovy. And not just those songs, the band had a proper career, built up slowly and authentically and then signed by Epic in 1969. Originally, the members were billed as Mexicans, but they wanted to represent their people and found a way to do so. Vocally. Literally. At a time when such things just weren’t done. That’s pretty awesome.
Of course, as any behind the music episode will tell you, these things don’t last, but nevertheless in a business as profoundly ephemeral as music industry, Redbone did well for themselves, had a number of well received albums, toured the world, created songs you can still enjoy decades later. And, of course, crucially, raised awareness of and furthered the political causes for Native Americans.
So naturally this all makes for a great story. Like some sort of synesthesia inspired experiment, this is art talking about music. It works well, it really does. The basic structure is one of reminiscence, looking back from the present day perspective in a chronologically chaptered fashion on the before, during and after of the life of the band. The story is interesting and told well, but the art might be the real star of the show here, such terrific panels, great use of color and different styles, it goes from pop art to watercolors to sketches to proper comic style drawings. Love the way the artist did the combinations, faces within a face, or dancers extending from the musicians, difficult to explain in words, picture’s worth a thousand of them. It just looked great, kind of looked like music sounds. Also, absolutely terrific portraiture. Pure art.
So yeah, themed to a celebration theoretically based on gratitude not calories, I’d like to thank the library for, in its recently found zeal for inclusivity, acquiring this book and the artists behind the music, words and art for bringing this excellent and important story to life. Recommended.
April 21, 2025
So happy to learn something new and exciting about a not well discussed era of history. Nice piece of work.
November 21, 2020
For me, Redbone has long been a 1970s one-hit wonder for "Come and Get Your Love", most recently featured in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1. Inspired by this book, I've been streaming their music this morning while writing reviews and have been enjoying it immensely. I can see why they were big in Europe in the '70s, where they logged several chart-toppers. I'll be adding more of their songs to my daily mix.
A French superfan has co-authored this history of the band with the cooperation of Pat Vegas -- one of the founding members -- and his family. It's a hagiography, glossing over or avoiding entirely any conflicts or other problems within the band. A lot of time is spent in the framing sequence set in the modern day with Pat Vegas and his children having a bit of a love fest. The history of the group sticks to the facts and dates in large, offering up only a few tame anecdotes from the road.
Actually, the group's story is frequently used as a springboard to share the history of the Native American civil rights movement, touching on forced assimilation via residential schools, Wounded Knee, and the American Indian Movement (AIM).
The book is a little weak overall, but I still enjoyed the chance to get more information about Redbone and am grateful for the prompt to more fully explore their catalog.
A French superfan has co-authored this history of the band with the cooperation of Pat Vegas -- one of the founding members -- and his family. It's a hagiography, glossing over or avoiding entirely any conflicts or other problems within the band. A lot of time is spent in the framing sequence set in the modern day with Pat Vegas and his children having a bit of a love fest. The history of the group sticks to the facts and dates in large, offering up only a few tame anecdotes from the road.
Actually, the group's story is frequently used as a springboard to share the history of the Native American civil rights movement, touching on forced assimilation via residential schools, Wounded Knee, and the American Indian Movement (AIM).
The book is a little weak overall, but I still enjoyed the chance to get more information about Redbone and am grateful for the prompt to more fully explore their catalog.
November 14, 2022
Redbone is probably the most educational graphic novel I’ve ever read. I knew the band, as most do, for their song “Come and Get Your Love,” featured in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. With this resurgence came an opportunity for the band’s fascinating story to be told, and I find it very interesting that a comic format was chosen for such weighty material. It’s a story well balanced and well told, and I think this was the perfect medium through which to share that story with the world.
Redbone was the first all American Indian rock and roll band. Their founding members, brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas, passed as Mexican for years when they first entered the music scene. In the 60s they shared a stage with acts like Sonny and Cher, The Doors, and Jimi Hendrix, the latter of whom helped plant the idea of an all Native band in their minds. The band experienced a good bit of popularity in the 1970s, especially in Europe. They songs were often viewed as “too political” in the US, unfortunately. But they rose to fame around the same time as the American Indian Movement (AIM) came into being, and they did their very best to lend their name and music and support to the movement in whatever ways they could. I learned so much about very aspects of Native life that I knew a bit about, but not nearly enough. For instance, I learned how late into the 20th century forced assimilation boarding schools were still heavily in operation. I learned more about Wounded Knee, and it blows my mind that such horrendous treatment was not only still ongoing at that time, but still exists today. I feel like a much more informed human being for having read this book.
While this was incredibly informative, I do with the story had been plumbed a bit deeper, and that the art style had been a touch less abstract. But, while not my favorite graphic novel I’ve read, Redbone is one of the ones I have no doubt I will think back on the most. This was a great read that I highly recommend for anyone looking to broaden their education on the 20th century American Indian experience, especially if they are also a music history fan.
Redbone was the first all American Indian rock and roll band. Their founding members, brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas, passed as Mexican for years when they first entered the music scene. In the 60s they shared a stage with acts like Sonny and Cher, The Doors, and Jimi Hendrix, the latter of whom helped plant the idea of an all Native band in their minds. The band experienced a good bit of popularity in the 1970s, especially in Europe. They songs were often viewed as “too political” in the US, unfortunately. But they rose to fame around the same time as the American Indian Movement (AIM) came into being, and they did their very best to lend their name and music and support to the movement in whatever ways they could. I learned so much about very aspects of Native life that I knew a bit about, but not nearly enough. For instance, I learned how late into the 20th century forced assimilation boarding schools were still heavily in operation. I learned more about Wounded Knee, and it blows my mind that such horrendous treatment was not only still ongoing at that time, but still exists today. I feel like a much more informed human being for having read this book.
While this was incredibly informative, I do with the story had been plumbed a bit deeper, and that the art style had been a touch less abstract. But, while not my favorite graphic novel I’ve read, Redbone is one of the ones I have no doubt I will think back on the most. This was a great read that I highly recommend for anyone looking to broaden their education on the 20th century American Indian experience, especially if they are also a music history fan.
June 6, 2021
So much more than the one song I heard by this band growing up (my parents liked a mostly all-news radio station, which had a tiny roster of songs it occasionally played), Redbone had tons of talent and drive. I had no idea that they had been so popular in Europe, while they were told not to play some of their politically-themed music in the US, because, racism, of course.
I feel like I now have to go listen to this band’s music after finishing this interesting history of the group. The illustrations are great, though I occasionally had a little trouble figuring out what order to read some of the text on some pages because of the layout. But I liked the energy of the narrative, and once I got past the slightly confusing open, enjoyed learning about these Indigenous musicians who were contemporaries of Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Janis Joplin and other musicians.
I feel like I now have to go listen to this band’s music after finishing this interesting history of the group. The illustrations are great, though I occasionally had a little trouble figuring out what order to read some of the text on some pages because of the layout. But I liked the energy of the narrative, and once I got past the slightly confusing open, enjoyed learning about these Indigenous musicians who were contemporaries of Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Janis Joplin and other musicians.
December 16, 2020
Jeff says:
Brothers Pat and Lolly Vasquez played in bands in the late '50s and early '60s before moving to Los Angeles and changing their name to Vegas to try to become successful in the clubs on Sunset Avenue such as Gazzaris, which featured bands like The Doors. They found a following in the clubs, made appearances on television, and wrote hit songs for artists like Aretha Franklin. Jimi Hendrix, who was part Cherokee, suggested that the brothers form an all-American Indian band. They followed his advice and recruited Tony Bellamy on lead guitar and Pete DePoe on drums and named the band Redbone, which means a mixed-raced person with Native American blood.
I was familiar with a couple of songs that were played on the radio mostly in the '70s, but Redbone found a bit of resurgence in popularity when their song “Come and Get your Love" was featured in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. I really enjoyed the comic book style of this biography, and found the drawings and colors equally as enjoyable as their story. The book also tells the sad story of how Native Americans were treated in this country, and events like Wounded Knee inspired their songs. The song "We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee" was a big hit in Europe, but was not even released as a single in America.
Brothers Pat and Lolly Vasquez played in bands in the late '50s and early '60s before moving to Los Angeles and changing their name to Vegas to try to become successful in the clubs on Sunset Avenue such as Gazzaris, which featured bands like The Doors. They found a following in the clubs, made appearances on television, and wrote hit songs for artists like Aretha Franklin. Jimi Hendrix, who was part Cherokee, suggested that the brothers form an all-American Indian band. They followed his advice and recruited Tony Bellamy on lead guitar and Pete DePoe on drums and named the band Redbone, which means a mixed-raced person with Native American blood.
I was familiar with a couple of songs that were played on the radio mostly in the '70s, but Redbone found a bit of resurgence in popularity when their song “Come and Get your Love" was featured in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. I really enjoyed the comic book style of this biography, and found the drawings and colors equally as enjoyable as their story. The book also tells the sad story of how Native Americans were treated in this country, and events like Wounded Knee inspired their songs. The song "We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee" was a big hit in Europe, but was not even released as a single in America.
December 30, 2020
These guys are famous for their hit "Come and Get Your Love" which has gotten really popular again because it's on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack. There is so much more to their story. These badasses were huge civil rights activists and never backed down, which led to them being pretty much blacklisted from the American pop music world. I'm excited to listen to more of their music, especially the protest songs that got them into so much trouble.
October 7, 2021
I love consuming media about niche history. In this case, I got to learn about a rock band that proudly branded itself as "Native American" way back in the 1960s and 70s. The members came from a few different tribal nations.
I appreciated the illustration style - it's very French, atmospheric, kind of meandering, with a wide variety of approaches and layouts (kinda like life). Much of the text is first person from one of the members of the band. This is something of an authorized biographical piece, although the primary author/superfan is a white French man.
I appreciated the representation of how people of various Native American backgrounds have been mistaken for Latine people. Obviously there are some blurred lines there too in some cases, but in the experience of Pat and Lolly Vegas, it was an example of white assumptions. There's a great scene with Jimi Hendrix along those lines.
I loved the section about AIM and Redbone's activism.
Originally published in French. And there are points when you can tell.
I feel like the people who will appreciate this the most are probably the people who are familiar with the band. So, although this is currently shelved in our YA GN section, I'm going to suggest we move it to the adult GNs. There's a level of assumed knowledge that I don't think most teens will have. And the aesthetic will fit more in the Adult GN section in our library.
I appreciated the illustration style - it's very French, atmospheric, kind of meandering, with a wide variety of approaches and layouts (kinda like life). Much of the text is first person from one of the members of the band. This is something of an authorized biographical piece, although the primary author/superfan is a white French man.
I appreciated the representation of how people of various Native American backgrounds have been mistaken for Latine people. Obviously there are some blurred lines there too in some cases, but in the experience of Pat and Lolly Vegas, it was an example of white assumptions. There's a great scene with Jimi Hendrix along those lines.
I loved the section about AIM and Redbone's activism.
Originally published in French. And there are points when you can tell.
I feel like the people who will appreciate this the most are probably the people who are familiar with the band. So, although this is currently shelved in our YA GN section, I'm going to suggest we move it to the adult GNs. There's a level of assumed knowledge that I don't think most teens will have. And the aesthetic will fit more in the Adult GN section in our library.
March 5, 2020
While like everyone else, I had heard of Redbone from the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, but I had no idea of the activism and pride behind an all-Indian rock band. This story was incredible and led me to explore more about Redbone and Native American artists in popular music. The color palette made for stark images, and I like the way that the authors made sure to explain the history behind the activism and the larger context of why a Native American rock band was important. My only complaint is that the text wasn't always linear in a way that made the order obvious. Every time I had to stall to figure out the order, it would stall the flow of the book for me. But otherwise a great historical graphic novel.
April 13, 2021
I learned a lot from this graphic novel. Highly recommend.
June 18, 2020
Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band was not my traditional sort of book as I don't often read about rock bands, but I do enjoy graphic novels that depict true stories and history. Redbone was a great book that told both the story of the band Redbone and the story of the persecution and plight of Native Americans. The narrative seamlessly interwove the story of the band and the key moments in Native American protest. I have to admit I knew very little about the band, except for having heard their hit on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, and I also realised I know very little about Native American history.
Although I liked the art style, I did think that the graphic novel could have had slightly more structure as there were no storyboard section with boxes and outlines. The whole page was a free art style and there weren't always text bubbles, just free text. I think this would have provided slightly more guidance on which sections to read first as it wasn't always intuitive. However, the art style switches between the book worked really well to show the changes from the band's story to moments of history, and some of the history sections had more structure.
The one area that I really liked about the graphic novel was the snippets of history. I realise how little I know about the Native American plight. I knew about the occupation of Alcatraz 1969 - 1971, but I didn't know about the occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973. This followed the death of Wesley which resulted in police brutality and riots because there was no justice for Wesley. The result was Native Americans occupied Wounded Knee for 71 days. At the time they gained support from actor Marlon Brando who sent actress Sacheen Littlefeather to refuse his Oscar for The Godfather and speak out about the Lakota's plight. Jane Fonda, Johnny Cash and Angela Davis all supported their efforts. This was an event in American history I'd never learnt about or heard. In fact, the only reason I knew about the occupation of Alcatraz was because of my visit there a few summers ago. It made me realise how much Native American history is erased from the general history of America and how much I have to learn. So I thought this was cleverly done and I think important to the band's values as they became invested in the plight of their people and the protests such as Wounded Knee.
The story of the band itself was cleverly told (although I was probably less invested in this). The narrative followed Pat Vegas recounting to his children the various points of his life, the fame the band achieved, the success and the tours as well as the relationships within the band and the eventual breakdown of their success and group. It was interesting to see how Pat and Lolly Vegas the initial brothers and founding members had to change their names from Vasquez to Vegas to be more appealing to a white audience. The graphic novel really demonstrated the conflict of identity the brothers had until they finally decided to form a band with Peter DePoe and Tony Bellamy. They formed the band as a Native American rock band and it was that we see how they really became invested in retaining their cultural identities.
Overall, I really enjoyed the graphic novel. I learnt a lot about the band and the Native American plight and although I think the graphic novel structure could do with some tweaks, I did still really enjoy it.
I was provided an eArc through NetGalley in exchange for my review.
Although I liked the art style, I did think that the graphic novel could have had slightly more structure as there were no storyboard section with boxes and outlines. The whole page was a free art style and there weren't always text bubbles, just free text. I think this would have provided slightly more guidance on which sections to read first as it wasn't always intuitive. However, the art style switches between the book worked really well to show the changes from the band's story to moments of history, and some of the history sections had more structure.
The one area that I really liked about the graphic novel was the snippets of history. I realise how little I know about the Native American plight. I knew about the occupation of Alcatraz 1969 - 1971, but I didn't know about the occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973. This followed the death of Wesley which resulted in police brutality and riots because there was no justice for Wesley. The result was Native Americans occupied Wounded Knee for 71 days. At the time they gained support from actor Marlon Brando who sent actress Sacheen Littlefeather to refuse his Oscar for The Godfather and speak out about the Lakota's plight. Jane Fonda, Johnny Cash and Angela Davis all supported their efforts. This was an event in American history I'd never learnt about or heard. In fact, the only reason I knew about the occupation of Alcatraz was because of my visit there a few summers ago. It made me realise how much Native American history is erased from the general history of America and how much I have to learn. So I thought this was cleverly done and I think important to the band's values as they became invested in the plight of their people and the protests such as Wounded Knee.
The story of the band itself was cleverly told (although I was probably less invested in this). The narrative followed Pat Vegas recounting to his children the various points of his life, the fame the band achieved, the success and the tours as well as the relationships within the band and the eventual breakdown of their success and group. It was interesting to see how Pat and Lolly Vegas the initial brothers and founding members had to change their names from Vasquez to Vegas to be more appealing to a white audience. The graphic novel really demonstrated the conflict of identity the brothers had until they finally decided to form a band with Peter DePoe and Tony Bellamy. They formed the band as a Native American rock band and it was that we see how they really became invested in retaining their cultural identities.
Overall, I really enjoyed the graphic novel. I learnt a lot about the band and the Native American plight and although I think the graphic novel structure could do with some tweaks, I did still really enjoy it.
I was provided an eArc through NetGalley in exchange for my review.
September 3, 2021
Having been a long time fan of the band, I was pretty excited when I found the graphic novel was happening. However, I'm just now getting to it. Still, it's a great read as a primer or established fans. It's told in a very touching way with Pat Vegas talking to his children about the group's origins, heyday in the '70s, and ultimate demise. And while he's honest about internal conflicts and such, there's still lots of love and respect given to Lolly Vegas and Tony Bellamy who have both passed on. Of course, there are connections to Native American political movements that informed the band's songwriting and performance that actually help contextualize what the group went through all throughout their career. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to know more about the band or to add to the collection of avid fans. And also, the illustrations are quite beautiful as well.
May 21, 2020
Delve into the formation of the first all American Indian Rock Band: Redbone, as told from Pat Vegas’ perspective. Before they were a full band, Lolly and Pat Vegas played clubs in LA and jammed with some of the greats - Jimmy Hendrix before he was Jimi, Sonny and Cher, and more. As they started to collect other talented musicians who were also passing as Hispanic Americans, rather than showing
I honestly picked this up because "Come and Get Your Love" resurfaced in popularity after its use in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 movie. I imagine this is how many of our students will know it, too. I hadn’t anticipated being pulled into this story, but I was because of the attention to the history surrounding the band and their formation. This book is half about the band and half about Native American rights as fought for from the 1800s to the 1970s. And, as history often has a way of doing, the events from the book tie in with the current struggles, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, that our Native American communities are still fighting. It is also always nice to read a book and find connections close to the place where you're sitting. I had no idea that Pat and Lolly Vegas were born about 60 miles from where I currently live, nor did I know that they were raised for a better part of their lives in the Tower District of my current hometown, Fresno. it's a fun and startling realization to see part of a freeway you drive to work every day depicted within a comicbook.
The illustrations of this book are heavily outlined and stylized with some roughness. There are some great moments of coloring and shading that incorporate symbolism important to Native Americans.
This title would be most suitable to high school audiences. There are cigarettes and alcohol references throughout. There is one page of language - this book could be considered an R film because a sound engineers says the F word three times in after hearing their music - but that's the only cussing in the entire book.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale September 22, 2020.
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
I honestly picked this up because "Come and Get Your Love" resurfaced in popularity after its use in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 movie. I imagine this is how many of our students will know it, too. I hadn’t anticipated being pulled into this story, but I was because of the attention to the history surrounding the band and their formation. This book is half about the band and half about Native American rights as fought for from the 1800s to the 1970s. And, as history often has a way of doing, the events from the book tie in with the current struggles, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, that our Native American communities are still fighting. It is also always nice to read a book and find connections close to the place where you're sitting. I had no idea that Pat and Lolly Vegas were born about 60 miles from where I currently live, nor did I know that they were raised for a better part of their lives in the Tower District of my current hometown, Fresno. it's a fun and startling realization to see part of a freeway you drive to work every day depicted within a comicbook.
The illustrations of this book are heavily outlined and stylized with some roughness. There are some great moments of coloring and shading that incorporate symbolism important to Native Americans.
This title would be most suitable to high school audiences. There are cigarettes and alcohol references throughout. There is one page of language - this book could be considered an R film because a sound engineers says the F word three times in after hearing their music - but that's the only cussing in the entire book.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale September 22, 2020.
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
July 2, 2020
The new graphic novel Redbone is an enjoyable read regardless if you know about the group or not. Not only will you learn about the groundbreaking group, but you will also gain knowledge about some of the injustices Native Americans have had to endure. Prior to reading the book, I was not familiar with the group but was intrigued just to read about an all Native American rock band. Upon reading the novel, I actually found out that I was familiar with their music after all--well at least one song. "Come and Get Your Love" had been one of my favorite tunes on the radio in the 70s. I just never knew who sung it. One of the things I liked about the novel is the way the story is told through a series of flashbacks group member Pat Vegas shares while eating lunch with his adult children. I love how the graphics for the past are in red and blue on a tan background. When he speaks in the present, the background color is white with a mustard color for the graphics. Although the book was about the group Redbone, I actually enjoyed learning and reading about Native American history in this country. Most of the events that occurred in the 1970's I had never heard about. And I was only vaguely familiar with Wounded Knee and the indoctrination boarding schools. My one complaint is that I wish the book had been somewhat longer. At less than 120 pages, there was no way to give more stories or in-depth coverage. And I was left with wanting to know more. However, I am glad that their story was told, and I believe that the graphic novel genre was an excellent way to give them the credit they so deserved.
June 27, 2020
Thank you Netgalley for an e-copy. All opinions are 100% my own.
This was such a cool way of giving you the back story to Redbone becamean all Native American rock band and the trials and tribulations they faced to get there.
It was interesting to learn that Native American children had to be sent to boarding schools "for Indians" to learn to assimilate into white society. That's so intense and I'd be interested to learn more about that, especially after learning from this book that it's still in affect in some places, in some ways.
I enjoyed the little comic book snippets that flashbacked a bit. That was a quirky way to show things, rather than being told.
I learned so much more than Redbone's beginning, (as well as what the band name means) I learned about the start of AIM (American Indian movement) and lots more about the racism native Americans faced and still do, especially concerning their land being forcefully taken from them and their reservations and culture stripped.
The one thing I would say I struggled with was the direction of speech and little confused by new people introduced, because, for example, I didn't follow very well when band members changed.
The art style also isn't my favourite but I loved the colours and tones used.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
This was such a cool way of giving you the back story to Redbone becamean all Native American rock band and the trials and tribulations they faced to get there.
It was interesting to learn that Native American children had to be sent to boarding schools "for Indians" to learn to assimilate into white society. That's so intense and I'd be interested to learn more about that, especially after learning from this book that it's still in affect in some places, in some ways.
I enjoyed the little comic book snippets that flashbacked a bit. That was a quirky way to show things, rather than being told.
I learned so much more than Redbone's beginning, (as well as what the band name means) I learned about the start of AIM (American Indian movement) and lots more about the racism native Americans faced and still do, especially concerning their land being forcefully taken from them and their reservations and culture stripped.
The one thing I would say I struggled with was the direction of speech and little confused by new people introduced, because, for example, I didn't follow very well when band members changed.
The art style also isn't my favourite but I loved the colours and tones used.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
September 16, 2020
Well, I guess I gotta get on Spotify and listed to some Redbone! This is a band I knew nothing at all about, which was why I was intrigued to read this graphic novel. I enjoyed especially learning about the cultural and social context of the band's rise, and how they fit into AIM (American Indian Movement) and the protest at Wounded Knee. I also really liked the art which was lively and interestingly laid out - I also liked the use of turquoise and coral to represent the 60s and distinguish things from present day. Not as strong for me was some of the very detaily details about the band getting together - and also I thought it was strange that until the last chapter, the story was told in linear order but then suddenly swooped back to the founders' childhood. But I suppose that could be seen as a metaphor for one of the groups aims: to reclaim your past for a better sense of who you are.
Thank you to NetGalley for a peek at the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for a peek at the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 8, 2022
I think I need to recognize that this is not intended for young adults and even for most general adult readers because without a foundation of music evolution, there are a lot of blanks in the story that a reader would need to fill in. I don't have the background or context of music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s to fully appreciate the story that is trying to be told.
Likewise, the artwork and graphic style to tell the story wasn't intuitive. With the narrative scattered about the pages, it was hard to follow page by page. Similarly, the illustrator tried to ground the story with some foundational color schemes for various conversations or points in history-- the intention was there, but the execution was hard to understand. The name-dropping and the wheeling and dealing of the music industry was not interesting to me as a reader and I couldn't differentiate between the importance of the people for the rock band's career.
It was higher-level both in text and illustrations.
Likewise, the artwork and graphic style to tell the story wasn't intuitive. With the narrative scattered about the pages, it was hard to follow page by page. Similarly, the illustrator tried to ground the story with some foundational color schemes for various conversations or points in history-- the intention was there, but the execution was hard to understand. The name-dropping and the wheeling and dealing of the music industry was not interesting to me as a reader and I couldn't differentiate between the importance of the people for the rock band's career.
It was higher-level both in text and illustrations.
December 26, 2020
I received this as a Xmas gift from my wife and was so glad. As a 10 yr old I remember the song "Come and Get Your Love"on the radio. I have always turned up this song and everytime I hear it on the radio.
It wasn't until a few years ago that I learned that Redbone was a music group of Native American men. This graphic novel explains all the history of the band and brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas. I love how the book was constructed, it has Pat's daughter Frankie Vegas asking about his past, the band and her uncle Lolly. It is done in such a lovely way. It is family history but also an American story.
The book also provides knowledge on AIM and the events of the early 70s that still are present today on the reservations. Please read this awesome book.
It wasn't until a few years ago that I learned that Redbone was a music group of Native American men. This graphic novel explains all the history of the band and brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas. I love how the book was constructed, it has Pat's daughter Frankie Vegas asking about his past, the band and her uncle Lolly. It is done in such a lovely way. It is family history but also an American story.
The book also provides knowledge on AIM and the events of the early 70s that still are present today on the reservations. Please read this awesome book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2022
Look, the band is great. Their story is so unique for so many ways, and the art style is also very pleasing, so why did this not work? It comes to the writing, really. It botched up this story. It needed a central focus, whether that was the story of the two brothers at the heart of it, the making of the band, the decision to “stop passing as Mexican”...really if any of these were pursued more clearly, and the story became organized around that singular idea/theme then we still could have explored the others but had some substance and nuance be given to something. This is simultaneously not accessible for people unfamiliar with Native history or even 70s music. It’s name-droppy, quick, and not structured. Love that it was made, but wish it was handled better.
January 19, 2024
This was amazing— I just wish there was more!
I read this for a class.
I originally selected this book because I recognized the band name and was curious. Little did I know that this is not only a history of the band Redbone, but it is also a recap of the Native American movement in the late 20th century. I don’t claim to understand what this book is about on a personal level. However, I think it’s important to share messages like these to people like me so that we might begin to understand. I also really enjoyed that the story was told in comic form— it made it easier to understand, and I loved the art style that was chosen. Overall, this was a very informative book that I’d recommend to nonfiction fans.
Rating: 4/5
I read this for a class.
I originally selected this book because I recognized the band name and was curious. Little did I know that this is not only a history of the band Redbone, but it is also a recap of the Native American movement in the late 20th century. I don’t claim to understand what this book is about on a personal level. However, I think it’s important to share messages like these to people like me so that we might begin to understand. I also really enjoyed that the story was told in comic form— it made it easier to understand, and I loved the art style that was chosen. Overall, this was a very informative book that I’d recommend to nonfiction fans.
Rating: 4/5
December 21, 2020
Best graphic novel I read this year. More than just a story of how the band formed, this book also gets into the history of oppression of the Native American people, as well as the resistance--from the beginning of the American Indian Movement to the recent struggle in Standing Rock. (Guest appearances by Jimi Hendrix and The Doors were also pretty awesome)!
February 12, 2021
This was an interesting nonfiction comic. I didn't realize how big this band was in the early seventies. It also has some nice connections to other big events for Native Americans during the era. I liked this.
February 28, 2021
A history lesson and a celebration of musicianship nicely relayed in a conversational style of sharing personal history with family.
Read
December 7, 2023Redbone is a nonfiction graphic novel about Redbone, the band best known for its 1970s hit “Come and Get Your Love.” To be honest, before reading this, the only things I knew about Redbone were “Come and Get Your Love” and that they were Native American, but there is a lot more to know about Redbone. The authors deliver a thorough, engaging history of this band set against the backdrop of the Native American rights movement. The narrative frame is Redbone’s Pat Vegas in later life recalling to his daughter the tale behind his band’s rise and fall. Classic rock fans will enjoy the appearances of Jimmy (before he was Jimi) Hendrix, The Doors, Bobby Womack, and other music world figures as they touch on the Redbone story. Artist Thibault Balahy effectively uses sand, rust, and turquoise coloring to evoke an authentic, nostalgic mood that also reminds me of the muted colors of faded vintage comic books. Balahy also avoids lined comic panels in favor of using several images on each page that flow from one to another in a freer style than is usually seen in comic art. The useful back matter includes an interview with Pat Vegas, a bibliography separated into categories, and a discography that covers 1966 through 2018. Redbone is a high-quality work that can be featured with titles focused on Native Americans, pop culture, or graphic novels.
July 26, 2022
As a longtime listener to classic rock, I knew a handful of Redbone's songs, but I knew very little about them as a band. What made this book especially interesting for me was the history lesson about the American Indian Movement (AIM) of the 1960s and 70s, a sadly neglected topic!
This graphic novel does suffer from some cringey expositional dialogue, especially in the concluding chapters, but it wasn't as pervasive as it was in another graphic bio I recently read. Thankfully, this is broken up by the background material relating AIM's fight to secure civil rights.
This graphic novel does suffer from some cringey expositional dialogue, especially in the concluding chapters, but it wasn't as pervasive as it was in another graphic bio I recently read. Thankfully, this is broken up by the background material relating AIM's fight to secure civil rights.
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