Native Influence on Music

Yeah, fuck you, it's a legit thing. If Link Wray hadn't fucked up trying to cover an old doo-wop song he never would've accidentally written Rumble in 1957. He tried to play a doo-wop song using power chords over a clean amp with a cheap mic that made the sound super distorted. A year later when he tried to record the song for an album he couldn't get the sound right, and ended up poking holes in the amp. A lot of shit wouldn't be possible without him. A lot of shitty "musicians" wouldn't be able to hide their lack of range over distorted notes and power chords. But he's at least in the Rock and Roll hall of fame even though he's a name you'll never hear people who claim to care about equality mention when it comes to music. It wasn't Robert Johnson who enabled power chords and distortion even though people trip over themselves to name him. IT wasn't Elvis either. Both of them had a bluesy/jazzy sound.

But the bigger crime? Jesse Ed Davis. Name a single fucking artist you know. I'll do it for you: John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne, and Taj Mahal. What do they have in common? They're only some of the artists that were either inspired by Jesse Ed Davis (Duane Allman), played with Jesse Ed, or had him on their albums. He was on six albums IIRC across 3 of the beatles after they broke up and when Paul McCartney and John Lennon played in 74? Yeah, they had Jesse Ed in the room. When George Harrison was worried about Eric Clapton not showing up? He had Jesse Ed who'd happily step up in the role. That classic song, "Doctor My Eyes"? Yeah, it probably would've been closer to something Avril Lavigne would write: super tight and very little space melodically. Jesse Ed Davis accidentally improvised a solo that completely changed the song into the classic it is today. Shit, Bob Dylan said Jesse Ed Davis' last album AKA Graffiti Man was the best of 1987. John Trudell didn't even bother trying to sing most the time. Not in the ironic most rock singers can't sing worth a damn way either. It just wasn't how he cared to deliver his poetry.

Yet, you never hear about Jesse Ed. Why? People talk about Duane being the greatest slide guitarist of all time and never mention how Duane was inspired to play slide guitar after hearing Statesboro Blues by Taj Mahal who had Jesse Ed on slide guitar.

You know what we do get though? The classic "40 oz dream" by Good Charlotte where they mock the idea of a spirit realm and do it using a native stereotype: alcoholism. That's equality. We aren't out here changing how people play even if we've done it for decades. We weren't a big part of the so-called English invasion of the 60s-80s. Oh no. Def didn't have one of the best guitarists no one has ever heard of and probably better than Roy Buchanan (a white dude most people give that title to btw).

Jesse didn't even live to 50 and IIRC was involved with a local clinic that was trying to address the alcoholism issue that is so well documented among natives. The same people who made a name off people like him and Wray though mock us and it's cool. Shit, can't blame them. Punk in particular has a huge issue with how they treat non-white minorities well beyond anything Hayley Williams has ever called out.

Can't blame 'em though. Bad Religion uses big words to say nothing and Fat Mike is pro fascism. Just listen to Idiots are Taking Over for the fascism point. He even says himself that votes should be weighed based on education (an inbred gets the same one vote as a political scientist). Ironically uses a soft science that relies heavily on hindsight to make his point too. Probably not ironic in his case though because Chomsky is an expert on revisionism if he has any shot at being wrong. Shits a bigger joke than using a union figurehead from Cali to represent union protests in the midwest (Rancid - Harry Bridges).

Metal isn't any better. Iommi wouldn't be doing his shit without people like Wray changing how amps were made and functioned.

Oh, and on Iommi. Jesse Ed Davis initially didn't even know any alternative tunings so when he inspired Duane Allman and played with a lot of these people he was playing in fucking standard tuning. All those little tricks and shortcuts people rely on weren't an option for him.

Fucking insane

and he'll never get his due cause he isn't the right minority

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anonymous Other July 18, 2026 at 5:21 pm 0 0