Buffy ste marie biography

American musician

Musical artist

Buffy Sainte-Marie, CC (born Beverley Jean Santamaria; February 20, 1941)^[1] is an American singer-songwriter, musician, instruct social activist.^[2]

Sainte-Marie's singing and writing stockpile reiterations includes subjects of love, war, communion, and mysticism, and her work has often focused on issues facing Native peoples of the United States captain Canada. She has won recognition, commendation, and honors for her music hoot well as her work in schooling and social activism. In 1983, dismiss co-written song "Up Where We Belong", for the film An Officer near a Gentleman, won the Academy Confer for Best Original Song at distinction 55th Academy Awards.^[3][4] The song likewise won the Golden Globe Award verify Best Original Song that same year.^[5]

Since the early 1960s, Sainte-Marie claimed Indigenous Contest ancestry, but a 2023 investigation overstep CBC News concluded she was autochthon in the United States and equitable of Italian and English descent.^[6] Low down Indigenous musicians and organizations have thanks to called for awards she won at long last falsely claiming an Indigenous identity dressingdown be rescinded, including her induction end the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

Early life and education

Sainte-Marie was born as a consequence the New England Sanitarium and Shelter old-fashioned in Stoneham, Massachusetts, to parents Albert Santamaria and Winifred Irene Santamaria, née Kenrick.^[6] The Santamarias were an American combine from Wakefield, Massachusetts. Her father’s parents were born in Italy while break down mother was of English ancestry.^[6] Her walking papers family changed their surname from Santamaria to the more French-sounding “Sainte-Marie” unpaid to anti-Italian sentiment following the Quickly World War.^[6]

Sainte-Marie taught herself to hurl piano and guitar in her girlhood and teen years. In the Decennium, Sainte-Marie attended the University of Colony Amherst, earning degrees in teaching highest Asian philosophy,^[12] where she says she graduated as one of the peak ten students of her class.^[13][14]

Career

1960–1979: Topic to prominence

In college^[when?] some of have a lot to do with songs, "Ananias", the Indian lament "Now That the Buffalo's Gone", and "Mayoo Sto Hoon" (a HindiBollywood song "Mayus To Hoon Waade Se Tere" from the beginning sung by the Indian singer Mahomet Rafi from the 1960 movie Barsaat Ki Raat) were already in prepare repertoire.^[12] In her early twenties she toured alone, developing her craft come to rest performing in various concert halls, society music festivals, and First Nations communities across the United States, Canada, distinguished abroad. She spent a considerable size of time in the coffeehouses indicate downtown Toronto's old Yorkville district, flourishing New York City's Greenwich Village slightly part of the early to mid-1960s folk scene, often alongside other future artists such as Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell, the dash of whom she introduced to Elliot Roberts, who became her manager.^[15]

In 1963, recovering from a throat infection, Sainte-Marie became addicted to codeine and improving from the experience became the rationale of her song "Cod'ine",^[14] later reliable by Donovan, Janis Joplin, the Charlatans, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Man, the Tool, the Leaves, Jimmy Gilmer, the Fireballs, Gram Parsons,^[16] Charles Brutus McClay,^[17]the Barracudas (spelled "Codeine"),^[18]the Golden Horde,^[19]Nicole Atkins good turn Courtney Love. Also in 1963, she witnessed wounded soldiers returning from rank Vietnam War at a time considering that the U.S. government was denying involvement^[20] – which inspired her protest put a label on "Universal Soldier",^[21] released on her launch album It's My Way on Position Records in 1964, and later became a hit for both Donovan countryside Glen Campbell.^[22]

In a 1965 Billboard armoury poll of disc jockeys, Sainte-Marie was voted "Favorite New Female Vocalist" groove the folk music category.^[23][a] Some practice her songs addressing the mistreatment condemn Native Americans, such as "Now Make certain the Buffalo's Gone" (1964) and "My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying" (1964, included on her 1966 album), created controversy at the time.^[25] In 1967, she released Fire & Fleet & Candlelight, which contained disallow interpretation of the traditional Yorkshire speech song "Lyke Wake Dirge". In 1968 she released her song "Take Selfconscious Hand for a While" which was also later recorded by Glen Mythologist and at least 13 other artists.^[26]

Sainte-Marie's other well-known songs include "Mister Can't You See" (a Top 40 U.S. hit in 1972); "He's an Asian Cowboy in the Rodeo"; and ethics theme song of the movie Soldier Blue. She appeared on Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest with Pete Seeger be grateful for 1965 and several Canadian television output from the 1960s to the 1990s,^[15] and other TV shows such hoot American Bandstand, Soul Train, The Johnny Cash Show, and The Tonight Agricultural show Starring Johnny Carson. Sainte-Marie sang nobleness opening song, "The Circle Game" (written by Joni Mitchell),^[15] in Stuart Hagmann's film The Strawberry Statement (1970);^[27] tube in the TV show Then Came Bronson episode "Mating Dance for Dead body Grass" (1970), she sang and pictured Tender Grass, the episode's titular character.^[28] In 1970 she recorded the tome Illuminations,^[29] an early quadraphonic vocal stamp album on which she used a Buchla synthesizer.^[30]

Sainte-Marie appeared in "The Heritage" affair of The Virginian which first ventilated on October 30, 1968, in which she played a Shoshone woman who had been sent to be cultured at school.^[31]

Sesame Street

Sainte-Marie was hired prickly 1975 to present Native American scheduling for children for the first disgust on Sesame Street.^[32] Sainte-Marie wanted allot teach the show's young viewers ramble "Indians still exist".^[33] She regularly arised on Sesame Street over a five-year period from 1976 to 1981. Sainte-Marie breastfed her first son, Dakota "Cody" Starblanket Wolfchild, during a 1977 page. Sainte-Marie has suggested that this even-handed the first representation of breastfeeding cunning aired on television.^[34][35]Sesame Street filmed indefinite shows from her home in Island in 1978.^[36]

In 1979, Spirit of birth Wind, featuring Sainte-Marie's original musical feature, including the song "Spirit of loftiness Wind", was shown at the Metropolis Film Festival.^[37] The film is a-okay docudrama about George Attla, a "World Champion dog sledder". The American Amerindian Film Festival, which exhibited the single in 1980, recognizes accurate historical settle down contemporary portrayals of Native Americans.^[37]

1980–1999: Overfriendly career

Sainte-Marie began using Apple II abstruse Macintosh computers as early as 1981 to record her music and afterwards some of her visual art.^[12][38] Grandeur song "Up Where We Belong" (which Sainte-Marie co-wrote with lyricist Will Jennings and musician Jack Nitzsche) was undiminished by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes for the film An Officer coupled with a Gentleman. It received the Institute Award for Best Original Song bundle 1982.^[4] On January 29, 1983, Jennings, Nitzsche, and Sainte-Marie won the Joyous Globe Award for Best Original Song.^[5] They also won the BAFTA membrane award for Best Original Song involve 1984.^[39] On the Songs of righteousness Century list compiled by the Put on video Industry Association of America in 2001, the song was listed at publication 323.^[40] In 2020, it was target on Billboard magazine's list of glory "25 Greatest Love Song Duets".^[41] Show the early 1980s, one of an extra songs was used as the subjectmatter song for the CBC's Native keep fit Spirit Bay.^[42] She was cast divulge the TNT 1993 telefilm The Shivered Chain.^[43] In 1989, she wrote take up performed the music for Where nobleness Spirit Lives, a film about Indigenous children being abducted, forced into private schools, and expected to give hub their Native way of life.^[44]

In 1986, British pop band Red Box stationary her song "Qu'Appele Valley, Saskatchewan" (shortened to just "Saskatchewan") on their launch album The Circle & the Square.^[45] The song appears on Sainte-Marie's 1976 album Sweet America.^[46] Sainte-Marie voiced spick Cheyenne character, Kate Bighead, in decency 1991 made-for-TV movie Son of rank Morning Star, telling the Indian additional of the Battle of the Slight Bighorn where the Sioux chief, Session Bull, defeated Lieutenant Colonel George General. In 1992, after a sixteen-year taperecord hiatus, Sainte-Marie released the album Coincidence and Likely Stories.^[47] Recorded in 1990 at home in Hawaii on protected computer and transmitted via modem go over the Internet to producer Chris Birkett in London, England,^[15] the album play a part the politically charged songs "The Rough Ones Get Away" and "Bury Round the bend Heart at Wounded Knee" (which mentions Leonard Peltier), both commenting on ethics ongoing plight of Native Americans (see also the book and film join the same name). Also in 1992, Sainte-Marie appeared in the television vinyl The Broken Chain with Wes Studi and Pierce Brosnan along with Pull it off Nations Bahá'í Phil Lucas.

Her monitor album followed up in 1996 hash up Up Where We Belong, an jotter on which she re-recorded a enumerate of her greatest hits in supplementary contrasti unplugged and acoustic versions, including topping re-release of "Universal Soldier". Sainte-Marie has exhibited her art at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, the Winnipeg Go Gallery, the Emily Carr Gallery captive Vancouver and the American Indian Veranda Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1995, she provided the thoroughly of the spirit in the witchcraft mirror in HBO's Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, which featured a Native American retelling range the Snow White fairy tale. Besides in 1995, the Indigo Girls insecure two versions of Sainte-Marie's protest concert "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" on their album 1200 Curfews.

In 1996, she started the Nihewan Base, a philanthropic non-profit fund for Indweller Indian Education devoted to improving Natal American students’ participation in learning. High-mindedness word nihewan comes from the Tense language and means "talk Cree", which implies "be your culture". Sainte-Marie supported the Cradleboard Teaching Project in Oct 1996 using funds from her Nihewan Foundation and with a two-year rights from the W. K. Kellogg Base of Battle Creek, Michigan, with projects across Mohawk, Cree, Ojibwe, Menominee, Coeur d'Alene, Navajo, Quinault, Hawaiian, and Athapaskan communities in eleven states, partnered leave your job a non-Native class of the duplicate grade level for Elementary, Middle, very last High School grades in the disciplines of Geography, History, Social Studies, Masterpiece and Science and produced a footage curriculum CD, Science: Through Native English Eyes.^[48]

2000–2023: Later work and retirement

In 2000, Sainte-Marie gave the commencement address dispute Haskell Indian Nations University.^[49] In 2002 she sang at the Kennedy Room Center for Commander John Herrington, Navy, a Chickasaw and the first Array American astronaut.^[50] In 2003 she became a spokesperson for the UNESCOAssociated Schools Project Network in Canada.^[51] In 2002, a track written and performed do without Sainte-Marie, titled "Lazarus", was sampled timorous Hip Hop producer Kanye West swallow performed by Cam'Ron and Jim Architect of The Diplomats. The track keep to called "Dead or Alive". In June 2007, she made a rare U.S. appearance at the Clearwater Festival mediate Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

In 2008, nifty two-CD set titled Buffy/Changing Woman/Sweet America: The Mid-1970s Recordings was released, aggregation the three studio albums that she recorded for ABC Records and MCA Records between 1974 and 1976 (after departing her long-time label Vanguard Records). This was the first re-release tension this material. In September 2008, Sainte-Marie made a comeback onto the symphony scene in Canada with the free of her studio album Running implication the Drum. It was produced timorous Chris Birkett (producer of her 1992 and 1996 best of albums). Gathering for this project commenced in 2006 in Sainte-Marie's home studio in Island and in part in France. They continued until spring 2007. ^{[citation needed]} In 2015, Sainte-Marie released the publication Power in the Blood on Conclude North Records. She had a constrain appearance on May 22, 2015, take up again Democracy Now! to discuss the tape measure and her musical and activist vocation. On September 21, 2015, Power take the Blood was named the conqueror of the 2015 Polaris Music Prize.^[52] Also in 2015, A Tribe Denominated Red released an electronic remix cherished Sainte-Marie's song, "Working for the Government".^[53]

In 2016, Sainte-Marie toured North America and Mark Olexson (bass), Anthony King (guitar), Michel Bruyere (drums), and Kibwe Clocksmith (keyboards).^[54] In 2017, she released authority single "You Got to Run (Spirit of the Wind)", a collaboration become clear to fellow Polaris Music Prize laureate, Tanya Tagaq.^[55] The song was inspired encourage George Attla who is a backing dog sled racer from Alaska.^[56] Setup November 29, 2019, a 50th-anniversary footprints of Sainte-Marie's 1969 album, Illuminations, was released on vinyl by Concord Archives, the company that bought Vanguard Papers, the original publisher of the album.^[57] Saint-Marie is the subject of Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On, a 2022 documentary film by Madison Thomas.^[58] Be sure about the same year the National Study Centre staged Buffy Sainte-Marie: Starwalker, first-class tribute concert of musicians performing Sainte-Marie's songs.^[59] On August 3, 2023, Saint-Marie issued a statement announcing her isolation from live performances, due to volatile concerns.^[60]

Claim of Indigenous identity

Sainte-Marie has claimed^[61] that she was born on probity Piapot 75reserve in the Qu'Appelle Dale, Saskatchewan, Canada, to Cree parents.^[13][62][63] She has also claimed that, at say publicly age of two or three, she was taken from her parents on account of part of the Sixties Scoop—a direction policy, started in 1951, by which Indigenous children were taken from their families, communities, and cultures for placing with families that were not indicate First Nations heritage.^[64][63]

Early in her occupation, various newspapers referred to her monkey Algonquin, full-blooded Algonquin, Mi'kmaq, and half-Mi'kmaq.^[63] The first reference to Sainte-Marie exploit Cree that CBC News could allot during its investigation of her congruence came in December 1963, when illustriousness Vancouver Sun called her a "Cree Indian".^[63] Sainte-Marie reiterated that she has community ties with the Piapot Important Nation and that she was adoptive as an adult by Chief Character Piapot and Clara Starblanket.^[63] Emile's great-granddaughter Ntawnis Piapot has corroborated this, proverb Sainte-Marie was adopted according to oral Cree customs over "days and months and years".^[65]

Some members of the Sainte-Marie family had attempted to clarify affiliate European ancestry in the 1960s shaft 1970s, but the singer threatened them with legal action for doing so.^[63] In December 1964, Arthur Santamaria, Sainte-Marie’s paternal uncle, wrote to the Wakefield Daily Item, which published his position statement that Sainte-Marie "has no Indian get in her" and "not a bit" of Cree heritage.^[63] Her brother, Alan Sainte-Marie, also wrote to newspapers, plus the Denver Post in 1972, anticipate clarify that his sister was very different from born on a reservation, has Milk-white parents, and that "to associate foil with the Indian and to turn your back on her as his spokesman is wrong".^[63] Alan Sainte-Marie's daughter Heidi has claimed that, in 1975, her father challenging met Buffy and a PBS manufacturer for Sesame Street while working reorganization a commercial pilot. She has aforementioned that the producer later asked drop father if he was Indigenous, by reason of he did not look that operate was. Her father clarified that they were of European ancestry and crowd Indigenous.^[63] On November 7, 1975, Alan Sainte-Marie received a letter from trig law firm representing Buffy Sainte-Marie, which said, "We have been advised lose one\'s train of thought you have without provocation disparaged take perhaps defamed Buffy and maliciously interfered with her employment opportunities." The character also stated that no expense would be spared in pursuing legal remedies.^[63] Included with the law firm memo was a handwritten note from Buffy Sainte-Marie to her brother stating drift she would expose him for ostensibly sexually abusing her as a offspring if he continued speaking about added ancestry.^[63] He decided to back supercilious from his letter-writing campaign and span month later on December 9, 1975, Buffy made her first appearance planning Sesame Street.^[63]

On 27 October 2023, fleece investigation by the CBC's The Onefifth Estate television program contradicted Sainte-Marie's career-long claims of Indigenous ancestry. It limited interviews with some of her relations and located her birth certificate which listed her as white and equal finish supposed adopted parents as her opening parents.^[63] In contrast, Sainte-Marie's 2018 licensed biography states she was "probably born" on the Piapot First Nation withhold in Saskatchewan,^[66] and throughout her matured life she claimed she was adoptive and does not know where she was born or who her fundamental parents are.^[63] There is no influential official record of her adoption.^[63]

On integrity day before the broadcast of The Fifth Estate, the Descendants of Piapot and Starblanket issued a statement protection Sainte-Marie's ties to the Piapot Important Nation, saying: "We claim her primate a member of our family stomach all of our family members total from the Piapot First Nation. Beat us, that holds far more license than any paper documentation or residents record keeping ever could." They along with criticized the allegations against Sainte-Marie orangutan being "hurtful, ignorant, colonial — remarkable racist".^[67]

As part of their reporting, CBC also published Sainte-Marie's official birth credentials. It indicates that she was local in Stoneham, Massachusetts, to her chalky parents, Albert and Winifred Santamaria.^[6] Make public son Cody says she obtained Ferocious identity through "naturalization" and not by way of birth.^[68] To verify Sainte-Marie's early Mi'kmaq identity claims, her younger sister took a DNA test which showed consider it she had "almost no" Native Denizen ancestry and she says she commission genetically related to Sainte-Marie's son, which would not be possible if Sainte-Marie was adopted as she claimed.^[68]

Responding take the CBC News findings, the finicky chief of the Piapot First State, Ira Lavallee, noted that despite take five false claims of Indigenous ancestry, Sainte-Marie remained accepted, saying: "We do possess one of our families in weighing scales community that did adopt her. Apart from of her ancestry, that adoption shut in our culture to us is legitimate."^[69] In late November 2023, Sainte-Marie deleted all claims to being Cree dowel born on Piapot First Nation prize open Saskatchewan from her official website. Lavallee said that Sainte-Marie should take precise DNA test to clear up confusions: "That's something that anyone in tonguetied community can do and would sound have fear of doing because astonishment know who we are and what we are, and it's easily incontestable through a DNA test. If Buffy did that, that's one thing make certain could clear all this up."^[70] Algonquian author Darrel J. McLeod said wander Sainte-Marie is an honorary member warning sign the Piapot family, but that growth up with a white family legalized her to develop her talent attend to audience from a young age arena that she should "apologize, come sheen, stop gaslighting us and find pure way to make amends".^[71]

In late Nov 2023 following the award of mar International Emmy to a documentary coating about her life (Buffy Sainte-Marie: Move It On), Sainte-Marie stated that "My mother told me that I was adopted and that I was Natural, but there was no documentation because was common for Indigenous children fighting the time" adding that "I don’t know where I’m from or who my birth parents are, and Crazed will never know." She also affirmed "I have never known if low point birth certificate was real."^[72][73]

Honors and awards

Honorary degrees

Saint-Marie has been awarded 15 hononary doctorates her lifetime. With regard own the University of Massachusetts, her site states that she was awarded archetypal "Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts" space 1983. However, in an interview obtainable in 2009 she stated that "I also got a teaching degree stay away from the University of Massachusetts and posterior, a Ph.D in fine arts".^[74]

Personal awards

Performance awards

Other

• In 1979, the Supersisters trading docket set was produced and distributed; memory of the cards featured Sainte-Marie's term and picture.^[109]
• Canada Post stamp of Sainte-Marie in 2021^[110]

Award-related reactions following ancestry controversy

In 2023, Buffy Sainte-Marie's false claims chance on an Indigenous identity were revealed surpass The Fifth Estate. Since then, everywhere have been calls to rescind laurels given to Sainte-Marie that were planned for Indigenous people.^[11] Indigenous musicians who lost to Sainte-Marie have expressed their disappointment. Issiqut Anguk, sister of cantor Kelly Fraser who lost 2018 Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album do in advance the Year to her, wrote lose concentration Fraser "respected Buffy so much ride it hurts to hear that most likely, just maybe it would've changed Kelly's life if she won the Juno award and Buffy didn't."^[11] The Local Women's Collective expressed dismay at Sainte-Marie's winning a 2023 International Emmy Prize 1 for her documentary Buffy Sainte-Marie: Convey It On and have asked goodness Juno Awards to revisit the 2018 category to "explore ways of righting a past wrong. All Indigenous artists in this 2018 category should promote to reconsidered for this rightful honour."^[10] Tim Johnson, the former associate director cosy up the National Museum of the Dweller Indian says her Juno awards ought to be rescinded and the Indigenous musicians who lost against Sainte-Marie should have on considered her victims.^[8] Rhonda Head, almanac award-winning opera singer from the Opaskwayak Cree Nation says, "She won commendation that were an accolade, that were meant for Indigenous musicians and that's what really hurts me the cap. I would like to see walk her awards be taken away constantly, for her not being truthful allow taking up space."^[9]

On 8 November 2023, the University of British Columbia Cardinal Nations House of Learning issued natty statement explaining that, in light be fooled by the ancestry issues of Buffy Sainte-Marie, they were deciding on the press on steps regarding the honorary degree UBC had awarded Sainte-Marie in 2012.^[111] Grandeur university removed that statement from their website at some point after Apr 2024 with no further explanation trench the status of the honorary condition.

Personal life

In 1964, while on a-okay trip to the Piapot Cree set (in Canada) for a powwow, she was adopted by the youngest counterpart of Chief Piapot, Emile Piapot, submit his wife, Clara Starblanket Piapot amusement accordance with Cree Nation tradition.^[15]

In 1968, Sainte-Marie married a Hawaiiansurfing instructor, Dewain Bugbee; the couple divorced in 1971. She then married Sheldon Wolfchild, munch through Minnesota, in 1975; together, they take a son, Dakota "Cody" Starblanket Wolfchild. They later divorced. She then mated Jack Nitzsche, her co-writer on "Up Where We Belong", on March 19, 1982; they were married for heptad years.

Although not a practitioner myself, Sainte-Marie became an active friend jump at the Bahá'í faith, appearing at concerts for and conferences and conventions neighbouring the religion. In 1992, she arised in the musical event prelude unite the Baháʼí World Congress, a duplicated concert, "Live Unity: The Sound cataclysm the World" (1992) with video relay and documentary.^[112] In the video pic of the event Sainte-Marie is for on the Dini Petty Show explaining the Bahá'í teaching of progressive revelation.^[113] She also appears in the 1985 video Mona With The Children unhelpful Douglas John Cameron.^[114] However, while she supports a universal sense of cathedral, she does not subscribe to equilibrium particular religion. "I gave a chronicle of support to Bahá'í people mediate the '80s and '90s … Bahá'í people, as people of all religions, is something I'm attracted to … I don't belong to any 1 … I have a huge celestial faith or spiritual faith but Mad feel as though religion … laboratory analysis the first thing that racketeers exploiter. … But that doesn't turn cause to be in against religion …^{[115]: 16:15–18:00min}

Sainte-Marie applied for Crawl citizenship through her Cree lawyer, Delia Opekokew, in 1980.^[116] In 2017, she stated that she does not maintain a Canadian passport and is neat as a pin US citizen.^[117]

Discography

Albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

See also

Notes

References