Keith Secola

Keith Secola is an icon and ambassador of Native music. He is one of the most influential artists in the field today. Rising from the grassroots of North America, he is a songwriter of the people. Critics have dubbed him as the Native versions of both Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. NDN Kars (Indian cars), his most popular song is considered the contemporary Native American anthem, achieving legendary status and earning him a well deserved cult following. It has been the number one requested song on tribal radio since the 1992. In 2011, he joined the ranks of Jimmy Hendrix, Hank Williams, Crystal Gale, and Richie Valens, and was inducted into the Native Music Hall of Fame.

Born in 1957 in Cook, Minnesota, Secola is affiliated with the Anishinabe tribe. He graduated from Mesabi Community College with a degree in Public Service in 1979, and completed a BA in American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota in 1982. He is married and has two children.

Secola is an accomplished artist, garnering awards and accolades as a musician, a singer, a songwriter, a composer and a producer. He is highly skilled with the guitar, flute, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, and piano, and has played in venues from the halls of the Chicago Urban Indian Centre, to the walls of the bottom of the Grand Canyon. He has also performed at the Olympic Games in Atlanta 1996 and Salt Lake City 2002, and toured Europe several times. Among his numerous appearances he has graced the stages of the Rockslide Festival in Denmark, the Grand Opening Gala of the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, The Kennedy Center and the SXSW in Austin, TX, and is a staple at the Grassroots Festival in Upstate New York, North Carolina and Florida.

A seven-time Native American Music Award winner, Secola has earned NAMMYs not only for his music, but also his abilities as a producer, to include The Best Linguistic Recording for producing ANISHINABEMOIN (2007). A well respected musician, he has worked with music legends such as Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. Secola has also teamed with academics like author Dr. Tom Venum of the Smithsonian Folklife Institute, collaborating on the CD, AMERICAN WARRIORS: SONGS FOR INDIAN VETERANS, and with elders such as Karen Drift, a speaker of Anishenabemoin.

Past Shows


Jun
6
th
2024
Turf Club
Jun
6
th
2024
Turf Club

Corey Medina & Brothers

★ Local Show ★
with Keith Secola and Laura Hugo
Sep
4
th
2022
Bayfront Festival Park
Sep
4
th
2022
Bayfront Festival Park

Water Is Life Festival

hosted by Winona LaDuke • featuring Ani DiFrancoIndigo GirlsAllison RussellTia WoodLOWDessaJoe Rainey SrKeith SecolaAnnie HumphreyDavid Huckfelt & The Unarmed ForcesCorey MedinaGaelynn Lea • emcee Thomas X
with D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Quannah Chasinghorse
Aug
18
th
2021
Bayfront Festival Park
Aug
18
th
2021
Bayfront Festival Park

Water Is Life ⏤ Stop Line 3

Hosted by Winona LaDuke
with Bon Iver, Mumu Fresh, Hippo Campus and more!
Jul
6
th
2019
Bayfront Festival Park
Jul
6
th
2019
Bayfront Festival Park

Trampled by Turtles

with Erik Koskinen, Gaelynn Lea, Early Eyes and more!
Dec
10
th
2017
Clown Lounge
Dec
10
th
2017
Clown Lounge

David Huckfelt

CLOWN LOUNGE (Turf Club basement)
with Keith Secola, Frankie Lee and HANNAH VON DER HOFF

More Shows

Jan
4
th
Turf Club

Gramma's Boyfriend

with Oyster World and Ghosting Merit
Jan
3
rd
Turf Club

HELL YEAH 2!! ⏤ A Rock & Roll Dance Party ft. DJ Mary Lucia

with DJ Shane Kramer (of Transmission), DJ Johnnie Johnson and Monica LaPlante
Mar
7
th
7th St Entry

Glixen

with she's green and Linus
Feb
15
th
7th St Entry

Michigan Rattlers