BUFFY ’ S ESSENTIAL ALBUMS
It ’ s My Way , 1964 Little Wheel Spin & Spin , 1966 Illuminations , 1969 Coincidence & Likely Stories , 1992 Power in the Blood , 2015
Alas , the FBI did have a surprising number of files on her , though she says all they did was prove “ I had a normal , innocent life .” The ironic thing is she never sought to be a rabble-rouser . As Sainte-Marie sees it , she ’ s simply a teacher . She views her most political songs as journalism in the form of music . It ’ s why she ’ s meticulous with the accuracy of the lyrics , to the point where she has annotated versions of songs like “ Universal Solider ” and “ The War Racket ” on her website that explain every line .
“ If somebody comes to you and they don ’ t know something , it ’ s not your job to give them the information in an enema . You ’ re trying to help them , you ’ re trying to give them something . Songs like ‘ Now that the Buffalo ’ s Gone ’ and ‘ Universal Soldier ’ are meant to make sense to people . They ’ re not meant to hurt people ,” she says . “ The one song in my catalog that really gets down to grinding it into an audience is ‘ My Country ‘ Tis Of Thy People You ’ re Dying ,’ because it just needs to be done . I just didn ’ t care who liked it and didn ’ t like it . For years , people had been coming and asking me , you know , ‘ You ’ ve got to write Indian 101 in a song .’ And so that ’ s my attempt to write Indian 101 in a song . It ’ s like six minutes long , but it does get to the point .”
So , the sad reality is Sainte-Marie was unjustly blacklisted because of her message . But because she wasn ’ t aware while it was going on , she doesn ’ t get too worked up about it now . What she does wonder about is what would ’ ve been had she not had those invisible chains holding her back ?
“ The second part of what you said , ‘ Do you ever think about what would have happened if you had not been taken out ?’ That ’ s the point I think about because I think I could have made a real contribution ,” Sainte-Marie says to Canadian Musician . “ For instance , I was never booked in the west . I wasn ’ t booked in South Dakota , Montana and Wyoming , Oklahoma — I wouldn ’ t go anywhere where the oil companies ruled . They were mostly controlling the newspapers , the television , the radio stations , they were all heavily influenced by people who considered Indigenous people to be a potential threat to their ownership .”
But in addition to those corporate and
political shackles , Sainte-Marie says she also didn ’ t play the industry game needed to become a household on the level of , say , Neil Young or Leonard Cohen . Really , it was a combination of not knowing how to , not wanting to , and not being allowed to play that game . Plus , being a young , solo female artist who doesn ’ t drink , she often stayed away from the bars and parties where a lot of industry relationships and deals get made .
“ I know what it was that made Neil Young so well known , in addition to talent . I mean , I wonder if Neil would have done as well if he had been a female Indigenous person ? Or would he have walked away in disgust with what he would have had to put up with ? He did not have to put up with misogyny and racism ,” she asserts . “ I knew Leonard and he was just plain wonderful and talented . And then I know the show business details of what it is that makes an artist into a household name , and I never had that . As I as a matter of fact , I had the opposite .”
In fact , Sainte-Marie says the same lawyer who got her out of the contract with Vanguard and helped get the FBI files also told her , about 15 or 20 years ago , that there had been “ men in the music industry who didn ’ t want me to succeed .”
“ That hurt , because I think it recalled old misogyny and bullying from my childhood ,” she continues . “ I didn ’ t know that there were actually some famous men who were responsible for making sure that I didn ’ t happen in the U . S . I think for some , it was just that they didn ’ t know how to manage me themselves . They didn ’ t know what to do with me , you know ? And therefore , I was the competition because I was doing all that kind of by myself . I did have management in my early days , but for a very long time I didn ’ t . Now I have a fantastic manager , [ Gilles Paquin ,] and it makes all the difference in the world .”
On the cusp of 80-years-old , Sainte-Marie ’ s career and reputation have never been stronger . Her latest albums – Power in the Blood and Medicine Songs – are among the most acclaimed of her career . Across this country her concerts have been a huge draw , and young artists treat her with incredible reverence . And her list of accolades is intimidating
— a Golden Globe and an Academy Award ( both for Best Original Song for 1982 ’ s “ Up Where We Belong ”); inductions into Canada ’ s Music Hall of Fame , Songwriters Hall of Fame , and Country Music Hall of Fame ; a star on Canada ’ s Walk of Fame ; an armful of Juno Awards ; the 2015 Polaris Music Prize ; an absurd number of honorary doctorate degrees from Canadian universities ; and a Companion of the Order of Canada , just to name a few .
No doubt , she is an icon – in Canada at least . Though she has spent the majority of her life in the U . S ., this country has proudly claimed her as its own idol . And while Sainte-Marie identifies simply as Indigenous North American , she is also happy for the recognition and appreciation . “ Well you notice they ’ re the only ones who do ? At least somebody claims me , because the U . S . sure doesn ’ t !” she goodnaturedly exclaims . “ We predate that border . So , it ’ s not as though I ’ m rejecting either the U . S . or Canada . I think I ’ m pretty lucky to have had two families and to have two countries . And one of them claims me , the other one doesn ’ t know who I am . They think I died in 1973 , so it ’ s all good ,” she deadpans .
It ’ s been an astonishing life and career . She is a remarkable person , artist , teacher , and thinker . One whose imprint on other artists can ’ t yet be measured . But maybe Jeremy Dutcher identified her biggest contribution when speaking with Canadian Musician in 2019 .
“ We have this beautiful word in our language – nihkanapasihtit – that means , ‘ the ones that have led the way .’ That is exactly it . I play this work , and the beauty that I get to experience – going around and doing these awards shows and wearing silly things and doing lots of cool stuff – because those people shared what they could ,” the Polariswinning , Indigenous musician and composer said . “[ Buffy ] did not stay safe . She was blacklisted for a very long time for her stances on Vietnam and what she was doing . But she was there ; she was holding space and keeping the door open for the rest of us to walk through .”
There is really no better legacy than that .
Michael Raine is the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Musician .
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