RUMBLE

Premiered January 21, 2019

Directed by

Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana

RUMBLE is the electric story of how Native American influence shaped rock and roll, a missing chapter in music history.

EXPLORE THE FILM

About the Documentary

They tried to ban, censor and erase Indian culture from rock and roll history but Native American influence is wrapped into modern music’s DNA. RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World is an electric look at Native American influence in popular music, going deep into the Indigenous foundations of rock.

RUMBLE traces the melodies, rhythms, and beats of traditional Native music as they took different forms across the spectrum of 20th-century American rock. Native Americans such as Robbie Robertson and Buffy Sainte-Marie helped to define its evolution, while Native guitarists and drummers such as Link Wray — the electric guitar pioneer whose titular instrumental hit was banned from the radio, Hall of Famer Jimi Hendrix, who was part-Cherokee, Jesse Ed Davis, and many more forever changed the trajectory of rock and roll. Their stories are told by some of America’s greatest rock legends who knew them, played music with them, and were inspired by them, including George Clinton, Taj Mahal, Slash, Jackson Browne, Taboo, Buddy Guy, Quincy Jones, Derek Trucks, Tony Bennett, Iggy Pop, Steven Tyler and Stevie Van Zandt.

Telling a missing chapter in rock history, RUMBLE is essential viewing for music fans.

The Filmmakers

Director/Writer/Executive Producer/Producer, on RUMBLE, and Co-founder of Rezolution Pictures and Minority Media. Catherine Bainbridge has brought her signature enthusiasm and passion for storytelling to countless documentary, drama, comedy, and interactive media projects, notably the Peabody award-winning documentary Reel Injun, about Native stereotypes in Hollywood films. Her role as Director on Rumble encapsulates her love and devotion to music, history, politics, and bringing important Indigenous stories to the mainstream.

Alfonso Maiorana is Co-director and Director of Photography on RUMBLE. Based in Montreal, Alfonso’s DP experience on Hollywood films, Independent features, MOWs, and television series brings a distinctive look and feel to the films he shoots. His directing credits include The Big World which premiered at the Montreal International Film festival. Passionate about music history and inspired by filmmakers like Jarmusch, Truffaut and Coppola, Alfonso’s combination of visual style and storytelling come together in RUMBLE.

Full Credits

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Awards

Sundance Film Festival

World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Prize
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

Best Canadian Documentary + Best Documentary
News & Documentary Emmy Award

Outstanding Arts & Culture Documentary (Nominee)