User reviews

This film focuses on the overlooked contributions of Native Americans on popular music. It covers the music from early blues through to hair metal. One of the findings is that being Native American was something that musicians generally hid from the public eye, publicity of this ethnicity seemed to be something that effected the chance of the music being promoted in the mainstream. There appeared to be a sense of discomfort in the American media, mixed in with a sense of collective guilt about the treatment of the Native Americans historically. The film details some of the racism that was directed their way, especially in the earlier part of the 20th century and the way that their culture was in fact suppressed to an extent. This extended to their music, which was considered to be subversive.

Catherine Bainbridge has put together a film on a subject of which there really has been little focus on. It is at its most interesting and incisive when detailing the earlier stuff. For example, the early blues recordings of Charley Patton really do have a Native American sound to them with the vocal delivery and distinctive rhythms, a fact I had never noticed beforehand. And considering he was one of the key players in the early days of what was to become popular music, you have to say that the influence of his culture on modern music has to be significant. Other key players are Link Wray who developed a style of guitar music which would be a major influence on all subsequent music which used power chords, we learn of the difficulties the folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie experienced with radio stations being pressurised into not playing her songs which were considered dangerously political and then there is Jimi Hendrix whose Native American ancestry was less promoted to the public than his black ethnicity. Later on, there is a look at the much-respected guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, Robbie Robertson of The Band, the Native American group Redbone, heavy metallers Randy Castillo and Steve Salas and hip-hop rapper Taboo. Some of the latter stuff, while still interesting, feels a little fragmented, with the actual Native American influence somewhat hard to detect at times. But overall, this certainly is a very good music documentary with much to ponder and a focus on some musicians who have not had much attention over the years. It definitely shows that the Native American influence is something that has never gotten the recognition it deserves; this film tries to readdress this a little.

The heavy distortion that carries from Link Wray's iconic "Rumble" was the current that ran through every rock 'n' roll song that ever came after. His, and many other influential and musical talents, are of Native American descent, which is a traditionally overlooked culture when it comes to popular music.

Native American musicians undoubtedly played a major role in the creation and influence of blues, rock 'n' roll, and pop music. Beginning with Link Wray's historic riff, to Redbone's 70s pop smash, "Come and Get Your Love," to Black Eyed Pea's rapper Taboo, director's, Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana, have created a wonderfully unique documentary making a sound argument that Native American's have made the most influential contributions to music.

This a definite watch for any music fanatic.

I saw this film at the Sonoma film fest. There were probably 200 people in the audience and all sat in rapt attention. No one walked out and there was mad applause at the end. A beautiful music and Native American feel good story masterfully told.

This movie blew me away. Not only do you see the evolution of rock and roll, you see it's influence on other genres and performances by some of the great musicians of all time.

You also see the targeting of Native American cultures in our early history, which is a story that is still rarely told,and one of our greatest crimes.

For many reasons, you MUST see and share, this movie.

I was MOVED. This is a great historical piece that takes you back thru a lot of rock and roll, concert footage, interviews and testimony. You'll be behind the scenes, up close and personal.

RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD (2018) - Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana's interesting Documentary got a brief theatrical release last year, and is now streaming via iTunes, Youtube etc.. Taking it's title from Native American guitarist Link Wray's pounding tune, RUMBLE attempts to show the link from Native American music (particularly its ryhymic aspects) to much of contemporary music. It succeeds to a large degree as it traces how Native Americans and African Americans were often discriminated against and thrust together by larger society (and inter-married). Native American musicians combined with black performers to create the mix of blues and folk to create rock 'n roll. Some of the connections seem more tenuous than others, but, the history is well told. Interview subjects ranging from Taj Mahal to Buffy St. Marie to Robbie Robertson to Tommy Ramone give insight (Marie and Robertson are of Native American descent). The Doc loses a bit of its focus as it enters the more modern era, but RUMBLE is a solid introduction to this aspect of rock's tangled roots.

This starts with a full on Link Wray appreciation overload as we learn he was half native Indian. It's interesting, but doesn't really feel like sure footing for a feature length documentary. This format continues with Charlie Patton, Hendrix, but it improves with a deep look at white Americas treatment of native Americans and the oppression of their culture... and their music. Utilising some really nice archival footage, it's a story of diversification of people and cultures, the rhythms those people brought with them, the birth of new sounds from those origins and how those sounds came to influence the music we recognise today.

Rumble is an important documentary, foundational to any survey of Native American musics, but it runs out of time before getting to the contributions and influence of Jim Pepper (Kaw/Muskogee Creek) and Don Cherry (Choctaw/African American), both pioneers in the development of experimental jazz and "world" music. Both created important and original bodies of work.

Artists discuss the role that Native Americans have played in the development of American popular music. Very well done documentary. Deeper than expected. Undoubtedly there are those who already knew/know all this but I'll call it revisionist history because it certainly revised my history of American music. I only knew of Jim Pepper ('Witchitai-to') and Jesse Ed Davis (with Taj Mahal) before watching this. I knew of Buffy Sainte-Marie but I always felt badly because I couldn't stand her vibrato. If you have near-musicology level interest in the history of blues, jazz and rock, served with another healthy dose of delightful American cultural history, here you go.

Extremely interesting in many many ways, beyond music history.

It touches many aspects of American history and society and the important contributions of the original Americans, which most of us us have heard without knowing.

Could have been more polished technically, but the material is invaluable. I could not stop watching, and being surprised, till the end.

This 2017 music documentary currently airing on Netflix is one of the most eye-opening comprehensively succinct programs that I've ever seen. It basically connects all of the rock musical genres together and shows how they evolved as they did. As a fairly astute student of American popular music, I will claim that I was sorely lacking, as far as knowing the degree to which indigenous peoples music formed the American fabric. A must-see for any American music buff!

Link Wray and Jimi Hendrix are as much Native American as Iron Eyes Cody!

Robbie Robertson, Redbone, Chuck Billy, et al. Should have been the focus.

Interesting, but lacking!

'Rumble' - obviously named after the classic Link Wray track - supposedly tells the story of the American Natives in rock, and then shows some artists who never saw themselves as anything but musicians, and possibly Americans. And say what you will - but WHEN did Buffy Sainte-Marie ever rock?

Also the movie left out the first, true rocking Native American Band; Granicus. Although with mainly Italian family names (so what - Hendrix/Hendricks is a Dutch name...), these Cleveland guys rocked when Grand Funk sucked, and their eponymous 1973 album has become a cult classic among heavy rock fans the world over. There were even talks of a reunion in 2016.