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 Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

influences, fused with elements of

Native American music Indigenous music of North America, which includes American Indian music or Native American music, is the music that is used, created or performed by Indigenous peoples of North America, including Native Americans in the United States and Abori ...

. She identifies as having Choctaw, Eastern Cherokee, and African-American ancestry.

Early life and education

Martha Redbone was born in 1966, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. 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 The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

ancestry, and her maternal grandfather, whom she identifies as being of Black and Choctaw ancestry. She wrote that she moved back to

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, as a child, "but we went back to Kentucky often for ceremonies."

Career

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. 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 The Native American Music Awards (also known as the NAMAs or "Nammys") are an awards program presented annually by Elbel Productions, Inc., The Native American Music Awards Inc., and The Native American Music Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profi ...

, 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."6th Annual Winners"
, Independent Music Awards Her 2012 work, '' The Garden of Love – Songs of William Blake,'' sets

Blake Blake is a surname which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory, presuma ...

'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.''"The Martha Redbone Roots Project"
, August 2013, The Ark (Ann Arbor, MI), accessed 16 June 2014 ''The New York Times'' said her voice holds “both the taut determination of mountain music and the bite of American Indian singing.”"The Martha Redbone Roots Project"
Freight & Salvage Coffee House, 2013, accessed 16 June 2014

Discography

*''Home of the Brave'' (2001) *''Skintalk'' (2004) *''Future Street '' (2006) * '' The Garden of Love – Songs of William Blake'' (2012)

References

External links

Martha Redbone's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redbone, Martha African-American women songwriters American soul musicians American people of Cherokee descent American people of Choctaw descent American people of Shawnee descent Living people American singers American songwriters Musicians from Brooklyn 1966 births Independent Music Awards winners Songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American women Singers from Kentucky Songwriters from Kentucky 21st-century African-American women singers