Tony Bellamy, Redbone Guitarist and Singer, 69
Scott Brady
Tony Bellamy, guitarist and singer for the 1970s band Redbone -- best
known for its 1974 Top 5 smash 'Come and Get Your Love' -- died on
Christmas morning in a Las Vegas hospital. According to Blurt, the 69-
year-old musician -- born Anthony Avila -- succumbed to liver failure.
Pioneers in the Native American rock movement, the L.A.-based band
formed in 1969 with the encouragement of Jimi Hendrix, who suggested
that a rock band with their ancestry might do well in the marketplace.
Naming themselves after the Cajun term for a mixed-race person, the
group, which also featured Pete DePoe and brothers Patrick and Lolly
Vasquez, signed with Epic Records and landed chart hits with 'Maggie'
and 'The Witch Queen of New Orleans,' in 1970 and 1971 respectively.
Bellamy, a Mexican-American Yaqui Indian, was inducted into the Native
American Music Awards Hall of Fame in 2008 and was an ardent supporter
of the organization. In a statement reacting to his death, N.A.M.A.
said it was "deeply saddened to learn of the passing. Anthony, or Tony
"T-Bone" Bellamy ... He was a beloved and endearing friend of the
'Nammys' since its inception, and will be greatly missed."
Prior to his work with Redbone, which he left in 1977, Bellamy
performed with San Francisco acts Dobie Gray and Peter and the Wolves,
who became Moby Grape.
http://www.spinner.com/2010/01/05/redbone-guitarist-tony-bellamy-dies-at-69/
Matthew Kruk
news:b13b31ef-40b0-495e...@35g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
> Redbone Guitarist Tony Bellamy Dies at 69
>
> Tony Bellamy, guitarist and singer for the 1970s band Redbone -- best
> known for its 1974 Top 5 smash 'Come and Get Your Love' -- died on
> Christmas morning in a Las Vegas hospital. According to Blurt, the 69-
> year-old musician -- born Anthony Avila -- succumbed to liver failure.
Funny, back a month or so I came across some Redbone clips on youtube.
Brought back some good memories. RIP.
Come and Get Your Love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xLi39E9PbA
Matthew Kruk
news:b13b31ef-40b0-495e...@35g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
According to
http://www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com/newsremembrance.cfm
he was 63:
REDBONE'S TONY BELLAMY PASSES AT AGE 63
revised as of 1/7/2010
New York, NY - The Native American Music Awards (N.A.M.A.) organization
is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Redbone's Anthony Bellamy,
who has died on Christmas morning, December 25th, 2009 in Las Vegas,
Nevada with his family by his side. Anthony, or Tony "T-Bone" Bellamy,
who attended the 10th Annual Native American Music Awards and was
inducted into the N.A.M.A. Hall of Fame with Redbone in 2008, was a
Mexican-American Yaqui Indian who became the lead guitarist, pianist and
vocalist for the Native American band.. He was a beloved and endearing
friend of the "Nammys" since its inception, and will be greatly missed.
Redbone became established as a Native American rock group in the 1970s.
They reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1974 with the
hit song, "Come and Get Your Love."
Originally formed in 1969 in Los Angeles, California by brothers Patrick
Vasquez (bass and vocals) and Lolly Vasquez (guitar and vocals), the
name Redbone started as a joking reference to a Cajun term for a
mixed-race person ("half-breed"). The band's members were of mixed blood
ancestry. According to Patrick Vasquez aka Pat Vegas, it was Jimi
Hendrix who talked the musicians into forming an all-Native American
rock group . The band consisted of Patrick Vasquez, Lolly Vasquez,
drummer Pete DePoe and Anthony "Tony" Bellamy.
The group signed to Epic Records in 1969, and released their debut
album, Redbone, in 1970. The follow-up album, Potlatch, featured the
song "Alcatraz," which dealt with the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz
Island. Their first commercially successful singles were, "Maggie," and
"Witch Queen of New Orleans" (1971) which also became a huge hit in the
United Kingdom. In 1973, Redbone released the political, "We Were All
Wounded at Wounded Knee" which reached the #1 chart position in Europe.
By 1974, Redbone had reached the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts
with "Come and Get Your Love". The Pop/Funk/Disco song was certified
Gold by the R.I.A.A for selling over one million copies and is still
heard today on radio stations and commercials throughout the country.
Drummer DePoe was replaced by Arturo Perez on Already Here (1972). Perez
was replaced on Wovoka (1974) by Butch Rillera. In 1998 members of the
group appeared as special guest performers at the inaugural Native
American Music Awards and returned in 2008 as NAMA Hall of Fame
inductees.
Tony Bellamy grew up in a family of dancers and musicians and learned to
play the flamenco guitar as part of his musical education. Before
joining the band Redbone, Tony Bellamy had performed with Dobie Gray,
and a was a member of the San Francisco band, Peter and the Wolves, that
evolved into the psychedelic band Moby Grape.
Born as Anthony Avila on September 12 1946 to parents James and Olga
Bellamy, Tony Bellamy died at age 63. He has five siblings.(It was
originally reported that Tony was born in 1940 and was 69 years of age,
but it was later corrected as 1946 and Bellamy passed at the age of
63.. Bellamy's family confirmed that Tony originally used a birth year
of 1940 so that he could legally play in the clubs.)
N.A.M.A. and its Advisory Board contingency would like extend their
condolences to the Bellamy family. N.A.M.A. will forever honor this
legendary performer who has been both a leading force in the mainstream
music industry and an inspiration to the Native American community.