Rise Up!: Indigenous Music in North America

Join music historian Craig Harris for a multimedia presentation exploring more than five hundred years of Indigenous history, religion, and cultural evolution through his latest book, Rise Up! Indigenous Music in North America. More than powwow drums and wooden flutes, Indigenous music intersects with rock, blues, jazz, folk music, reggae, hip-hop, classical music, and more. Combining deep research with personal stories by nearly four dozen award-winning Indigenous musicians, Harris offers an eye-opening look at the growth of Indigenous music.

Among a host of North America’s most vital Indigenous musicians, the biographical narratives include new and well-established figures such as Mildred Bailey, Louis W. Ballard, Cody Blackbird, Donna Coane (Spirit of Thunderheart), Theresa “Bear” Fox, Robbie Robertson, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joanne Shenandoah, DJ Shub (Dan General), Maria Tallchief, John Trudell, and Fawn Wood.

Craig Harris is a music historian, skilled percussionist, and the author or coauthor of several books, including Heartbeat, Warble, and the Electric Powwow: American Indian Music and Crossing Borders: My Journey in Music. After teaching music in Boston, Somerville, Chelsea, and Springfield, MA for twenty-six years, Harris launched Drum Away the Blues in 2009. Since then, he's presented multimedia/music programs in libraries, schools, and childcare/senior centers in across the country. Craig currently plays with Gaea Star Band, with whom he cohosts the weekly Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour for Dreamvisions 7 Radio Network.

Like all Southbury Public Library programs, this event is free to attend and open to anyone regardless of town of residency. Registration is required. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library.  For more information about this program, please email Rebecca at rrandall@biblio.org or call the reference desk at 203-262-0626 ext 130.