Buffy Sainte-Marie burst onto the folk music scene in the early sixties, playing in the coffee houses of Manhattan and Toronto with the likes of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen. She quickly caught the attention of music critics with her warbling delivery, and her unapologetically political songs about Native American issues. Playing the guitar, piano, and mouth bow, her talent was undeniable, and her image was just as intriguing to audiences. With her long black hair, dark skin and “ethnic features” along with a style that incorporated traditional Native American pieces with a rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic, she arrived just in time for the civil rights movement and its focus on Black and Native thinkers, artists, and causes.

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Sources: 

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