Redbone's official website

Disco 45 n°14, december 1971

The hitmakers

Text:

There's something very Red Indian about a name like Redbone. And when you see the chart-busting pop group called Redbone on stage, they certainly look the part-buckskins, beads, the lot. The name Redbone itself is a Cajun word which means half-breed. But then Redbone, the pop group, whose recording of 'Witch Queen Of New Orleans' has been such an outstanding success recently, really are an all-North American Red Indian outfit! And who are these four musicians who, together, comprise one of the most exciting pop groups to appear on the scene in recent times? Lolly Vegas is Redbone's lead guitarist and handles some of the vocal chores. He is described as being a "virtual encyclopaedia of modern musical styles, from bebop to rock to blues to jazz to Latin, all of which he plays with tremendous feeling and inventiveness; a resourceful, imaginative, exciting guitarist; a powerful, powerful singer ... " Lolly, who's a Libra, is a soft-spoken individual, who chooses his words carefully. He has a well-organised mind, is thoughtful to others and in so many ways is the real leader of the group. Tony Bellamy, Redbone’s rhuthm guitarist (also vocalist) is a Virgo. He’s wildly unpredictable, prone to a madly flamboyant, and has a marvellous sense of humour. He supplies the major portion of Redbone's laughs. His raw, passionate singing always gets through to even the most cold or blase of audiences, and his ringing, driving guitar work can bring the fans to a fever pitch. Bassist with Redbone is Pat Vegas, a Pisces, who is intense, volatile and a perfectionist, to whom feeling and emotional nuance are all-important. His bass sound is strong, big and comfortably underpins what the others are doing. His bass lines are clearly defined - he is a most articulate musician - and come singing through the ensemble, however loud or noisy the group may be playing. To Pat, it is important, too, that music should be natural means of communication-and particularly of communicating the great depth of feeling and humanity which are his strongest attributes. Pete DePoe, a Leo, is a real powerhouse of a drummer, who drives, wills, coaxes, spurs, inspires and carries his colleagues along in exhilirating, exciting and exuberant manner. Where Pat is the rock-base, Pete is Redbone's heartbeat and the essence of its wild abandon and no-holdsbarred style. Pete, who hates living in the city, is one who prefers to live by the sea, play sports and, in particular, hide himself away on some riverbank, where he can sit and catch fish to his heart's content... Those lucky people fortunate enough to see Redbone on its recent British tour will no doubt agree that they are one of the most genuinely exciting live groups anywhere to-day. They generate tremendous heat and drive and have that magic gift of communication, so essential to the well-being and success of any pop act. Onstage, too, they come over as four real characterswarm, funny, friendly and expressive. Naturally, their 'Witch Of New Orleans' hit went down like the proverbial bombbut, then, so will their tremendous new single 'Maggie'. In fact, there wasn't one item in Redbone's repertoire that didn't draw some kind of enthusiastic response from the concerts they played here.