Brendan's Biography

Billy Jean Watts, my Cherokee descendent mother

Biography

Brendan was interested in music at an early age and was singing songs from the radio at age two singing “little White cloud that cried” by Johnny Ray (as reported by his mother).

Country music was a staple both on radio and in life as Brendan often listened live to an uncle and cousin who played such standards as “Your Cheatin’ heart” by Hank Williams and “Railroad, Steamboat River and Canal” by Jim Reeves. Johnny Cash was a hero to both his uncle and father. He fell in love with the power of the electric guitars and the lead guitar his cousin played. His first 45 record, purchased at nine years old, was Patsy Cline  singing ”Walkin’ After  Midnight” and he played it endlessly on the little portable record player he got for Christmas that year.

At the same time he developed a growing interest in history and the early mythologies of a number of cultures. "My dad bought Collier's Encyclopedias that had a young people's collection which contained the Epics of King Arthur, Roland and Oliver, Finn and Oisin, The Cid, and many others. They also contained the Greek, Norse, Hindu and Native American mythologies. This was heady stuff for a little kid but it stimulated my interest in these subjects and I still maintain an avid interest in them which has been incorporated into both my albums". Brendan also became an avid reader of science fiction, reading all of Arthur C. Clark's novels and short stories as well as Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury and many others.

The exploration of undiscovered frontiers parallels Brendan's life in that he was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. This was an important stop in the Lewis and Clark expedition and was, from the 1840's on, considered to be the 'jumping off point' into unknown territory. Council Bluffs at that time was the last outpost of civilization, the gateway to the Oregon Trail.

When he was age 15, Brendan's family retraced portions of Lewis and Clark's journey, part of the old Oregon territory, in their move to Washington State. After moving to the Northwest, his interest in music developed into song writing and he became the lead singer for several teen bands. As Brendan grew older he worked with several bands and then as a single act playing cover songs but continued to write and perform songs of his own as well.

Although primarily performing pop/rock Brendan always had an interest in folk and Celtic music and for a short time played such music in coffee houses and other folk venues. In the majority of venues and clubs available to performers in the greater Seattle area in the 80's, however, the interest in the genre had declined and to continue working and make a living, a musician had to perform popular cover material.  Brendan decided in the mid 80’s to go "underground" leaving the club scene and devoting his time to writing music and submitting songs to a number of publishers. While there was a positive response and an effort to shop his songs around, publishers placed an emphasis on songwriters that attempted to write music that exactly reflected popular music being played on top forty or album rock oriented radio stations.

Brendan in the 80's

In the 1990's Brendan decided he was going to pursue his own musical journey to where ever it might lead him. His first Album was an amalgam of Celtic, pop, rock and ambient music (In other words all over the place). It recieved some decent critical reviews but people really did not know what to do with it. Brendan says, "There are any number of songs on the album I'm proud of though I wish I had known some better engineering, but I think some  sound quite good". Listen for yourself, you may find some gems that appeal to you.

At the end of the decade Brendan wanted to move back towards a more wholly American music, a mix of alt country, rock and folk that were really getting back to his musical roots. Originally titled "Myths and Legends" he finally decided on "American Mythology"  which would be an effort to capture vignettes of American culture. Songs were written and rejected, songs recorded and put aside. Finally at the end of seven years Brendan believed he had the songs and the mixes that reflected what he wanted to hear and what he hoped others wanted to hear.

Every thing is a circle and coming back around and incorporating all of the musical influences of a lifetime into a new album is a humbling experience.  This album was a labor of love and like love it required a lot of hard work and a lot of second guessing. Brendan would like to see people listen to it and discover something that touches their own lives.

Welcome to American Mythology.

Brendan at Deception Pass Washington, a few years ago, a long way from the big empty...

New Addendum From  Brendan  - A Celtic and Native American Fusion  

As the result of intensive genealogy research in the late 1990’s I discovered that my heritage included several Cherokee women and one half-blood Grandfather. This was also a case where first cousins married and the blood (or DNA) stayed strong. I have known for a long time that I was Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English, with a little mixed European ancestry but did not know of my mixed blood heritage. My bloodlines were masked well since my father was of largely Irish descent and I am freckled, light skinned and auburn haired.

My mother never knew her bloodlines. Born out of wedlock she was told her father was "German" (Black Dutch). When asked about her dark appearance she would say she thought she might have Italian blood...  

My mother later married a man whose family considered themselves Cherokee but never knew much about their own Indian history. Their appearance was such that it seemed undeniable that they were of Native American descent, but the family was very reticent to say much to outsiders about it. This is not as unusual as it seems since many who fled the "Trail of Tears" and other removals practiced an accelerated self assimilation for their own protection.

I had always wondered why my step father’s family was so insular and resistant to outside friends and influences and guarded in so many ways. My step-dad’s behavior became much clearer to me after studying generational trauma in Indian people. It seems to have affected assimilated people as well. The primary difference was that after about the fourth generation these families had assimilated enough to consider themselves a part of mainstream white America. I am currently researching my step fathers' family history.

My biological father married a quarter blood Shoshone woman after leaving my mother. In addition to my two brothers and the sister that I grew up with, I have two other siblings who are Native American also.

After all these years I look at a photo of my step father and mother together and clearly recognize the origins of my mother’s appearance. I have since collected photos of her father's family and they also show their Native bloodlines. I find it fascinating and compelling that two people whose ancestors came from different places could meet and find that they had such a passionate attraction to one another, though one had no idea of her Native ancestry.

Please see my Mixed Blood Path page for assistance in searching for your own Native heritage.

There are a number of cautionary notes there which are well advised. Being of Native descent is not the same as being Native. As in every other case in doing genealogical research discovering our ancestry is exciting, but claiming Native Blood has its own set of pitfalls. Our ancestors who left their native tribes and married with whites are not necessarily looked at fondly, nor are we, but as with all good people there are those who are accepting of us mixed bloods as we are. 

I do find it strange at times that in a culture that has refined "hypo-descent" (the practice of attempting to micro-identify certain racial characteristics) to extreme levels, especially when it comes to being African American, that many of us of mixed Native blood people fall completely under the radar screen.

We also run the risk of mockery from both whites and Native people when we self identify. It has happened tome more than once.

Of course it is also true that a great part of the United States' strategy in its history of treatment of Native people has been one of assimilation. This process still goes on today with Tribes losing recognition when the federal government determines that a given tribe no longer can be identified with their historic predecessors due to a loss of culture and language or blood relationship. There are those who say that the goal of the U.S. is someday to have no recognized tribes and thus no treaties to adhere to.

The cry of my ancestors, "Will we still be Cherokee in seven generations?" is echoed by other tribes who now are facing the battle of assimilation through culture, language and blood.  

                Dream Time Records

 

 

  Biography, Native American Mixed blood, American Indian, Cherokee