Life of Indigenous singer, songwriter and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie detailed in new book
Posted September 23, 2018 6:45 pm.
Last Updated October 18, 2021 12:06 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – She’s been called a beacon, an icon, and an inspiration, now, Buffy Sainte-Marie is the subject of a new book.
“We just had a really amazing time on the phone together and at the end of it she was like, ‘I don’t want to stop talking.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t either!'” explains Vancouver-based author and music critic Andrea Warner.
In Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography, Warner details the incredible life and accomplishments of the legendary Indigenous singer, songwriter, and activist. “Well, I’ve been writing about Canadian music for a long time and Buffy’s story is just so interesting and so fascinating,” she explains.
“Even though she’s definitely an icon, there is still so little known about her and her music compared to say, Neil Young or Joni Mitchell.” Mitchell, a fellow Saskatchewan native, is herself is a fan and wrote the foreword to the book.
Even now, Warner can’t believe it, “My mind is still melting, frankly!”
Warner was inspired to explore many little-known parts of Sainte-Marie’s life story, including how her activism came at a cost.
“Turns out, she was blacklisted by two presidential administrations and this was news to her.”
LISTEN: NEWS 1130’s John Ackermann speaks with Andrea Warner about Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography
Warner ultimately had one goal with the book, “to make the biography, I think, a really empowering story for a lot of people who have shared an experience, that kind of childhood trauma and intimate partner violence.”
(Greystone Books)
A book launch is planned for Monday night at the Fox Cabaret on Main Street in Vancouver.
