Show Notes
For a lot of Indigenous people, Buffy Sainte-Marie is known as the most celebrated musician ever. But she’s also known as the most under-acknowledged musician of her time. Why is this Indigenous icon still unknown to so many? From the Occupation of Alcatraz to Sesame Street, Mohawk and Tuscarora host Falen Johnson goes on an intimate journey through the life and music of Buffy Sainte-Marie. Episodes release Tuesdays, starting June 21.
More from Buffy
Host Falen Johnson reflects on significant updates since the series release in 2022.
Buffy Sainte-Marie, a Cree musician, artist and activist, has always been ahead of the curve. For six decades, she’s fought for Indigenous rights and visibility through her work. She spoke out against the Vietnam War with her song “Universal Soldier,” foresaw the opioid crisis with the eerily prescient “Cod’ine,” and wrote iconic love songs like “Until It’s Time for You to Go.” Today, we’re sharing a special episode from our friends at PBS’ Webby Award-winning podcast American Masters: Creative Spark, as their host Joe Skinner sits down with Sainte-Marie for an amazing conversation about her creative process and inspiration and how she brought the song “Carry It On” to life. You can listen to the full episode with Buffy Sainte-Marie and follow American Masters: Creative Spark for even more interviews here: https://link.chtbl.com/VqMug88H?sid=CBCBuffy
We’re sharing an episode from our friends over at Broken Record. On Broken Record from Pushkin Industries, acclaimed producer Rick Rubin, bestselling author Malcom Gladwell, producer Justin Richmond, and former New York Times editor Bruce Headlam talk with the musicians you love about their lives, inspiration, and craft. In this episode you’ll hear Rick’s conversation with Buffy Sainte-Marie. Buffy tells Rick Rubin there's a reason she isn’t a household name in the U.S. A pioneering artist in the Greenwich Village folk scene, she could've been Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell or Paul Simon. But in the early days of Vietnam when Buffy was singing protest songs about the casualties of war, she was blacklisted by the U.S. government. Her music was barely played on the radio. But she still managed to find an audience with her classic songs which have been covered by Elvis Presley, Barbara Streisand, Courtney Love, and Morrissey. You can hear more from Broken Record at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/brbuffy
Buffy's free in Hawaii. It's been 16 years since her last record and she’s ready for a comeback. But she's determined to do things her way and in 1992 she records Coincidence and Likely Stories, the first album made over the internet. Like always, Buffy continues to carve out space for other Indigenous artists. An award she helps to create has a ripple effect around the world – ensuring a strong, Indigenous future for music.
Now in her mid-30s, Buffy makes her historical Sesame Street debut in 1975, singing to Muppets about Indigenous languages, cultures, and so much more. She becomes the first woman to breastfeed on TV and the first Indigenous person to take home an Oscar. But as she makes giant strides for visibility, there are powerful forces trying to make her disappear.