Redbone’s Tony Bellamy R.I.P. 1940-'09

Much admired guitarist for one of the original Native American rock band and crossover acts.

By Blurt Staff

Anthony Bellamy, guitarist and singer for the groundbreaking Native American ‘70s rock band Redbone, passed away on Christmas morning in Las Vegas.  The cause of his death was reportedly liver failure. Born Anthony Avila, he was 69.

In a statement, the Native American Music Awards (N.A.M.A.) organization said it was "deeply saddened to learn of the passing. Anthony, or Tony "T-Bone" Bellamy, who attended the 10th Annual Native American Music Awards and was inducted into the N.A.M.A. Hall of Fame with Redbone in 2008, was a Mexican-American Yaqui Indian who became the lead guitarist, pianist and vocalist for Redbone. He was a beloved and endearing friend of the "Nammys" since its inception, and will be greatly missed."

Along with Albuquerque's XIT, which recorded for Motown, Redbone was considered among the first Native American rock bands to achieve any sort of crossover success during the early ‘70s - this was at a time when the image was still strictly one of drums, flutes and dancing. (Thanks a lot, Hollywood.) Redbone formed in 1969 with Bellamy, Pete DePoe and brothers Patrick Vasquez and Lolly Vasquez in Los Angeles, reportedly at the urging of Jimi Hendrix, who convinced them that a Native American rock band might have a shot during the then-thriving countercultural milieu. Indeed, Redbone hit it big in 1974 with the Top 5 song "Come and Get Your Love," from the album Wovoka. The band's self-titled debut LP had been released four years earlier on Epic and they tasted early success with the singles "Maggie" and "The Witch Queen of New Orleans"; to this day, though, "Come and Get Your Love" remains a staple of oldies radio, and the tune has been covered by numerous other artists. The band's music was a compelling hybrid of blues, rock, soul, tribal, Latin and Cajun - a veritable melting pot that reflected the members' mixed-blood ancestry.

Prior to Redbone, Bellamy worked as a musician in the Bay Area, including with Dobie Gray and rock band Peter and The Wolves (the latter would morph into Moby Grape).

Redbone on MySpace (song samples, photos and more):

http://www.myspace.com/redbonemyspace