Peter DePoe

Last updated

Peter DePoe
Also known asLast Walking Bear
Born (1943-08-21) August 21, 1943 (age 80)
Neah Bay, Washington, United States
Genres Rock, pop
Occupation(s)Musician, drummer
InstrumentsDrums

Peter DePoe (born August 21, 1943), also known as Last Walking Bear, is an American rock musician who was the drummer for the Native American band Redbone. Born in Neah Bay, Washington in 1943, his tribal ancestors are Southern Cheyenne, Turtle Mountain Chippewa, and Rogue River/Siletz. DePoe is also of French and German descent. He first played with Jimi Hendrix in Seattle's local taverns as a young man and moved to California and became Redbone's drummer in 1969.

Contents

He was credited with developing a style of drumming known as "King Kong", later copied by other drummers for its versatile and funk-oriented rhythms. [1]

In early 1972, he left the group. The band replaced him with Arturo Perez, and then with Redbone bandmate Tony Bellamy's cousin Butch Rillera. [2]

Further reading

Discography

Writing & Arrangement:

Related Research Articles

Harold McNair was a Jamaican-born saxophonist and flautist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Jeff Beck Group</span> English blues rock band

The Jeff Beck Group was a British rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy-sounding blues, rhythm and blues and rock was a major influence on popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wicked Lester</span> American rock band

Wicked Lester was a rock band based in New York City. Two notable members were bassist Gene Klein and rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen. Originally formed in 1970 as Rainbow, the band changed its name to Wicked Lester in 1971 to avoid confusion with another local band named "Rainbow". Although it secured a record deal with Epic Records and recorded an album, the deal fell through and the band fell apart during 1972. Klein and Eisen, feeling that the band's failure was a result of its lack of vision and direction, decided to found a new band from its remnants. They changed their names to the respective Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, auditioned a new drummer and lead guitarist, and formed the band Kiss by the end of January 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinegar Joe (band)</span> English blues rock band

Vinegar Joe were an English Blues rock band, formed in 1971 in London. They released three albums on Island Records, but were best known for their live shows and launching the solo careers of Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer.

Redbone is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1969 by brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas. All members during their commercial peak and success were of Mexican American and Native American heritage, which was heavily reflected in their songs, stage costumes, and album art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Brown</span> Performance poet and singer (1940–2023)

Peter Ronald Brown was an English performance poet, lyricist, and singer best known for his collaborations with Cream and Jack Bruce. Brown formed the bands Pete Brown & His Battered Ornaments and Pete Brown & Piblokto! and worked with Graham Bond and Phil Ryan. Brown also wrote film scripts and formed a film production company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Feldman</span> English jazz musician (1934–1987)

Victor Stanley Feldman was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as an adult. Feldman emigrated to the United States in the mid-1950s, where he continued working in jazz and also as a session musician with a variety of pop and rock performers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cactus (American band)</span> American rock band

Cactus is an American rock band formed in 1969. It is currently comprising Jimmy Kunes as lead singer, guitarist Paul Warren, drummer Carmine Appice, bassist Jimmy Caputo and Randy Pratt on harmonica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Purdie</span> American R&B, soul and funk drummer

Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time-keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie Shuffle." He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.

Wet Willie is an American rock band from Mobile, Alabama. Their best-known song, "Keep On Smilin'", reached No. 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1974. Several other of the group's songs also appeared on the singles charts in the 1970s, which utilized their soulful brand of Southern rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Tripp</span> American drummer

Arthur Dyer Tripp III is an American retired musician who is best known for his work as a percussionist with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention and Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band during the 1960s and 1970s. Thereafter, Tripp retired from music. He attended an accredited chiropractic college in Los Angeles from 1980 through 1983, graduating with his Doctor of Chiropractic degree. He currently practices in Gulfport, Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamhammer (band)</span> English rock band

Steamhammer is an English rock band from Worthing, England, that was formed in 1968 by vocalist Kieran White, guitarists Martin Quittenton and Martin Pugh, bassist Steve Davy, and drummer Michael Rushton.

Ray Arnott is an Australian rock drummer, singer-songwriter, he was a member of Spectrum (1970–1973), which had a number one hit with "I'll Be Gone". He also played drums for The Dingoes in the 1970s and Cold Chisel in 1980s.

<i>Redbone</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Redbone

Redbone is the first (double) album by Native American rock band Redbone. In Europe it was also released as a single record. The double album contains 4 instrumentals, 3 of which are extended.

<i>Message from a Drum</i> 1971 studio album by Redbone

Message from a Drum is the third album by Native American rock band Redbone released in 1971. It was released in Europe under the name The Witch Queen of New Orleans with the same track list and a different cover. The CD version released in the early 2000s has the European cover and title of the original LP and includes the single version of "Chant: 13th Hour" as a bonus track.

<i>Wovoka</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Redbone

Wovoka is the fifth album by the American rock band Redbone. It was recorded between June and October of 1973, and released in November 1973 on Epic Records. The album was produced by brothers Pat Vegas and Lolly Vegas, in addition to sound engineer Alex Kazanegras. It was the last Redbone album to feature Peter DePoe on drums. Wovoka was recorded with the help of multiple session musicians, including several additional backing vocalists. All main members of the band notably contributed to vocals. As with the band's other releases, Wovoka features songs with Native American themes; each of the band members at the time had either Native American or Mexican American heritage.

Lolly Vegas was a Mexican American musician of Indigenous descent. He played in numerous ensembles with his brother, Pat, including Pat & Lolly Vegas, The Avantis and Redbone. The brothers have Yaqui, Shoshone and Mexican heritage.


The Wild Angels is an English rock and roll group. The group got their name from the 1966 Roger Corman film The Wild Angels starring Peter Fonda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Vegas</span> American musician

Patrick Vasquez-Vegas is a Native American musician of Yaqui/Shoshone descent, vocalist, writer, and producer of Redbone, known for their hit singles "Come and Get Your Love", "The Witch Queen of New Orleans", "Maggie", and "We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee". He has played in numerous ensembles which include Pat and Lolly Vegas, The Avantis, and Redbone. Vegas, along with his Redbone bandmates, was featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian for being the first rock/Cajun group of Native American ancestry to have a No. 1 single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tammy Wynette albums discography</span>

The albums discography of American country music artist Tammy Wynette contains 33 studio albums, 55 compilation albums, 2 box sets and has appeared on 6 additional albums. In 1966, Wynette signed a recording contract with Epic Records. The following year, her debut studio album entitled Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad was issued, peaking at number 7 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. The same year, she collaborated with David Houston on the studio album My Elusive Dreams, which reached number 11 on the same chart. The following year, her fourth studio album D-I-V-O-R-C-E peaked at number 1 on the Country Albums list, spending two weeks at the top spot. Wynette's fifth studio record Stand by Your Man (1969) reached number 2 on the country albums chart and peaked at number 43 on the Billboard 200 albums list. Wynette's first compilation released entitled Tammy's Greatest Hits (1969) would spend 61 weeks on the Billboard 200 before peaking at number 37.

References

  1. "Learn to Play: The "King Kong" Drum Lesson with Jordan West". May 18, 2018.
  2. Native American Music Awards – "In Their Honor" Archived April 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

Orexis on Redbone