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Pembroke's Lakota John Wants To Save The Blues

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,
Frank Stasio
Published September 21, 2018 at 11:59 AM EDT
Courtesy Lakota John

Lakota John did not have to wait long to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a touring musician. At just 12 years old he was invited to travel across the country and play his ragtime blues.

But his parents were hesitant. They did not want their young son to tour alone and could not justify paying to fly the family around the world to support him. The answer, they found, was to form a family band to back him up.Frank Stasio talks to Lakota John to discuss his rise in the music world and perform live music from his new solo album 'The Winds of Time.'

Today Lakota John and Kin play blues, gospel, and Native American music. John sees his career as an important way of sharing his Lumbee and Oglala Sioux culture while also preserving the blues.

Lakota John joins host Frank Stasio to discuss his rise in the music world and perform live music from his new solo album "The Winds of Time."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-r_l0-S1fc

NOTE: This program originally aired on January 26, 2018. 

Copyright 2018 North Carolina Public Radio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio