‘Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World’: Watch the documentary
Native Americans have been a vital part of modern music history since the dawn of commercial recording in the early 20th century. The documentary Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World tells that story.
Directed by Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana, the 2017 documentary takes its name from “Rumble,” the 1958 instrumental by rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter Link Wray.
Related: 5 musicians with Native American roots, in honor of National Native American Heritage Month
As Cub Coda wrote in All Music, “Link Wray invented the power chord, the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarists. Listen to any of the tracks he recorded between that landmark instrumental in 1958 through his Swan recordings in the early ’60s and you’ll hear the blueprints for heavy metal, thrash, you name it.”
If you aren’t familiar with the song, take a minute to play it now. It’s fantastic – and Coda wasn’t kidding how influential that single song was on the development of rock and roll.
“Rumble” the song is more or less the starting point for Rumble the movie, which digs deeper into the history and influence of U.S. and Canadian indigenous artists on the development of modern music. Not only does the film focus on Wray and other rock artists, it also turns attention to artists in other genres and across many decades – jazz vocalist Mildred Bailey, folksinger Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Delta blues pioneer Charley Patton.
Other musicians in the film include Jimi Hendrix, Jesse Ed Davis, Robbie Robertson, Redbone, Randy Castillo, and Taboo. The music of Cherokee/Irish folksinger Karen Dalton is also featured during the credits.
Rumble is available to watch on multiple streaming services including Netflix, Amazon, and Kanopy.
RELATED PAGES:
Soundboard Newsletter – subscribe to get concert presale codes and other goodies every Thursday morning
The Guest List – check this page every week for concert ticket giveaways
Concert Calendar – get info and ticket links for upcoming live shows
Playlist – see our list of recently played songs and artists
Listen – learn how you can listen over the air, online, or using your smart speaker
