![](laroche.jpg)
![](brulelogo.jpeg)
Native American musical
traditions are fused with contemporary rock influences by
pianist/keyboardist Brule (born: Paul La Roche). A member of the
lower Brule Lakota nation, who was adopted as an infant and raised
in a non-Native family, Brule uses music as a way to bring
together the two cultures of his past. During a telephone
interview, Brule explained that his 1997 debut album, "We The
People" was "a means to bridge the gap between small
town Americana and the Native American experience". His
second album, "Lakota Piano", released in 1998, featured
piano interpretations of songs by 1970s Native American rock band,
XIT. Brule's third album, "One Holy Night", released the
same year, was recorded with Robby Bee, the son of former XIT
member and owner of the Native American-oriented SOAR label and
its Natural Visions subsidiary, Tom Bee. With his fourth album,
"One Nation", released in September 1999, Brule took a
more global approach. "It's a further step in the evolving
story of my life, " he explain d, "a way to bring all
the people of the world together".
Brule didn't discover his
Native American heritage until he was in his thirties. Although
born on the Lower Brule Sioux reservation in South Dakota, his
adoptive parents, who raised him in the small farming town of
Worthington, Minnesota, did not tell him of his heritage. It
wasn't until the death of both of his adoptive parents in 1987
that he became aware of his ancestry. He was reunited with his
Lakota parents in 1996.
Brule's music is the product
of two cultures. Although he studied accordion as a youngster, he
had little interest in music before hearing The Beatles' song,
"I Want To Hold Your Hand" at the age of eight. Inspired
by what he heard, Brule switched to piano and became more serious
in his musical studies. By the age of fourteen, Brule was
performing with a rock band that played throughout Minnesota and
Iowa. Within two years, he was making enough money as a musician
to devote his life to playing music. His earliest influences
included rock bands such as Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Deep
Purple and Uriah Heep and pop singer-songwriters including Billy
Joel and James Taylor.
After discovering his Lakota
heritage, Brule began to incorporate Native American influences
into his music. He adopted his stage name as a tribute to the
tribe to which he was born. ~ Craig Harris,
All Music Guide
|
Click on any
title for ordering information, sound samples and reviews
|