Hot Docs 17 – RUMBLE: THE INDIANS THAT ROCKED THE WORLD

Screening Times: Sun, Apr 30 @ 8:45pm, Tue, May 2 @ 1:45pm

More than the Who, the Rolling Stones or Elvis Presley, it was Link Wray’s distorted guitar that forever changed the sound of rock ‘n’ roll. His 1958 track “Rumble” was described by Bob Dylan as “the best instrumental ever”—yet it was banned by many American radio stations. As a Native American, Wray’s music posed a threat to the establishment, as did the blues, jazz and pop of so many other Indigenous musicians over the years. Artists like Charlie Patton, Mildred Bailey and Jimi Hendrix couldn’t be open about their native identities as attempts to erase Indigenous cultures persisted across the continent. Blending audio archives, concert footage and interviews with industry icons Robbie Robertson, Buffy St. Marie, Taboo (Black Eyed Peas) and many others, this Sundance award-winner is an unforgettable and political exploration of a musical history that was silenced for too long. – Alexander Rogalski

– Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World Hot Docs Film Page.

Comments are closed.