Paul Revere & The Raiders - Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian) 1971

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Midi playing "Indian Reservation" by Paul Revere & The Raiders. To download midi click on title. DO NOT directly link to this file. When in doubt view the TERMS OF USE

They took the whole Cherokee nation Put us on this reservation Took away our ways of life The tomahawk and the bow and knife Took away our native tongue And taught their English to our young And all the beads we made by hand Are nowadays made in Japan Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe So proud to live, so proud to die They took the whole Indian nation Locked us on this reservation Though I wear a shirt and tie I’m still part redman deep inside Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe So proud to live, so proud to die But maybe someday when they learn Cherokee nation will return, will return, will return, will return, will return

Brief biography courtesy of Wikipedia
Paul Revere & the Raiders is an American rock band that saw enormous mainstream success in the 1960s, best-known for hits like "Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian)" (1971), "Steppin' Out"(1965), "Kicks"(1966), "Let Me" (1969) and "Hungry" (1966). The group, initially located in Boise, Idaho, started as an instrumental rock outfit led by organist Paul Revere (legal name Paul Revere Dick, born January 7, 1946, Harvard NB; original stage name Revere Dick), whose distinctive given names were in honor of the Revolutionary War hero. In his early twenties, Revere already owned several restaurants in Caldwell, Idaho, and first met singer Mark Lindsay while picking up an order of hamburger buns from the bakery where Lindsay worked (this circumstance was later referred to in the tongue-in-cheek song "Legend of Paul Revere"). Lindsay joined Revere's band in 1958. Originally called The Downbeats, they changed their name to Paul Revere & The Raiders in 1960 on the eve of their first record release for Gardena Records. The band scored their first Pacific Northwest regional hit in 1961, with "Like, Long Hair", an instrumental. Revere was drafted, became a conscientious objector and worked at a mental institution for a year and a half of deferred service. After re-forming the band, they attracted national attention again with a cover of "Louie Louie", which was picked up by Columbia Records, although beaten in the charts by The Kingsmen's version. They would maintain a huge level of popularity in the mid-1960s, beginning with "Just Like Me" (1965), which marked the beginning of a string of garage rock classics. (The tune itself was originally written by Rick Dey and Rich Brown of the Longview-based band The Wilde Knights. Raiders manager Roger Hart paid them $ 5000 for the use of their song, which the Raiders turned into an instant classic.) The Raiders, under the guidance of producer Terry Melcher, increasingly emulated the sounds of British Invasion bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five, and The Animals, albeit with an American, R&B feel. Their second major national hit, "Just Like Me" (1965 - #11) was one of the first rock records to feature a distinctive, double-tracked guitar solo (by guitarist Drake Levin). The band appeared regularly on national television, especially on Dick Clark's Where the Action Is, Happening '68, and It's Happening, the latter two of which were co-hosted by Paul Revere and Mark Lindsay. Here they were presented as the American response to the British Invasion. The group wore American Revolutionary War soldier uniforms and performed slapstick comedy and synchronized dance steps while the ponytailed Lindsay lip synched to their music. This farcical, cartoonish image obscured the proto-hard rock sound that their music often took. The Raiders were at one point endorsed by the Vox Amplifier company (Revere used their Vox Continental combo organ. Bassist Phil Volk was seen on television playing their "coffin bass" and everyone played through Vox Super Beatle amplifiers.) Their hits from the mid-60's included "Kicks" (Billboard Pop Chart #4), "Him or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" (#7), "Good Thing" (#5), "Hungry" (#5), and "Great Airplane Strike" (#20). Of these, "Kicks" became their best-known song, an anti-drug message written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was originally earmarked for The Animals. In mid-1967, with three gold albums to their credit, they were Columbia Records' top-selling rock group; their Greatest Hits album was one of two releases selected by Clive Davis to try out a higher list price for albums expected to be particularly popular, along with Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits. Changing tastes in the late 1960s rendered the group unfashionable, but they still continued to have hits through the rest of the decade, such as "I Had A Dream" (1967 - #20), "Too Much Talk" (1968 - #18, and an illustration of their tendency towards Beatles imitations), and "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" (1969 - #18). Tensions between Lindsay and Revere increased during this time; Lindsay wanted to go more in the direction of hard rock acts like Led Zeppelin or the James Gang, while Revere sought a bubblegum pop direction (Revere turned down an offer to play the Woodstock festival). Lindsay's vision for the Raiders was represented on songs such as "Let Me" (1969 - #20 - Gold Single), "Powder Blue Mercedes Queen" (1972 - #54) and "Just Seventeen" (1970 - #70) and the 1970 album Collage. By the time of the release of Collage the band's name was officially shortened to The Raiders. Despite a glowing review in Rolling Stone magazine, Collage was a dismal failure, and Lindsay began to turn towards solo projects. "Freeborn Man", a song written by Lindsay and bassist Keith Allison, has since gone on to be a Country Rock standard, covered by The Outlaws, Junior Brown, and Glen Campbell among many others. Ironically, The Raiders biggest hit, "Indian Reservation" (1971 - #1 - Platinum single), was recorded as a Mark Lindsay solo session and included input from no one else in the band. Revere took the unusual step to promoting the single, by riding cross country a total of four times. Plugging the song at every market available, Revere's efforts paid off, and "Indian Reservation" peaked at #1 for one week in August. "Indian Reservation" was Columbia Records biggest selling single for almost a decade, clearing over 6 million units. They followed this success, with a top 20 album (Indian Reservation) and the #24 hit "Birds of a Feather." In 1972, The Raiders made one last attempt at a pop album, with Country Wine, but Columbia was sinking money into other acts, such as Blue …yster Cult and Aerosmith, and Country Wine and The Raiders sank in the resulting quagmire. They did continue to release singles for Columbia until their contract expired in 1975. Their last hits were "Country Wine" (1972 - #52), "Powder Blue Mercedes Queen (1972 - #54), "Song Seller" (1972 - #96) and "Love Music" (1973 - #97). Lineup changes ensued in 1975, as guitarist Doug Heath and bassist Ron Foos joined. Lindsay left the band to continue his solo career, having landing a hit single in late 1969 with Kenny Young's "Arizona". After two final singles for Warner Bros. records in 1977, Mark turned his attentions to film scoring and commercials. He was also head of A&R (artists & repertoire) for United Artists Records in the 70's. Country music the choice of former guitarist Freddy Weller, who had much success on the country charts after leaving the Raiders (Freddy's stint was 1967-1973). Revere continued to put together successful Raiders lineups with other lead singers, such as Michael Bradley. In a memorable event, Revere married for the second time on the 4th of July, Bicentenial Year 1976 on stage at a Raiders show. Lindsay (and to a lesser extent producer Terry Melcher) had clearly been the creative center of the band. The punk rock and New Wave eras would see a wave of interest in the Raiders' music; "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" was covered by The Sex Pistols and Liverpool band The Farm (although The Monkees' cover version was more well known than the Raiders' original), and later "Just Like Me" would be covered by The Circle Jerks (as well as by more mainstream figures like Joan Jett and Pat Benatar). "Hungry" was also covered by Sammy Hagar and the new waver David Edwards did a killer cover of "Kicks". The Flamin' Groovies tackled two Raiders songs ("Him or Me, What's it Gonna Be?" and "Ups and Downs") and The Morrells did a country-tinged arrangement of "Ups and Downs" as well. The Paisley Underground, garage rock revival, and grunge movements would all acknowledge the Raiders' influence. Revere has continued to play shows on the oldies circuit and in Branson, Missouri with various Raiders. Lindsay is semi-retired and lives in Portland, Oregon, where he hosts a radio show on a local station KLTH 106.7FM. Keith Allison, who played in the Raiders from 1968 to 1975, has since gone into acting, and has appeared in the film Gods and Generals. In 1997, the group's classic 1966 Midnight Ride lineup (singer Mark Lindsay, guitarist Drake Levin, bassist Phil "Fang" Volk and drummer Mike "Smitty" Smith) reunited in full costume (though without Revere himself) for a 30th anniversary performance in Portland. Smith died four years later. in 2000 Sundazed Records released a two CD package entitled Mojo Workout that focused on the Raiders' early R&B and soul sounds from early in their Columbia career. Original bassist Phil "Fang" Volk currently tours with his own band, "Fang and the Gang." Guitarist Drake Levin also performs on occasion in the San Francisco Bay Area. After their stints in the Raiders, Levin, Volk and original drummer Smitty briefly performed together as The Brotherhood.

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