ABOUT ROBERT

Living with his family at the foot of sacred Taos Mountain, Robert maintains a traditional life, keeping the centuries-old customs of the Taos Pueblo people.

If you live a traditional life you see things differently—spiritually and musically.

Described as a Native American "Renaissance man"—musician, composer, painter, master craftsman, poet, actor, screenwriter, horseman and farmer—Robert has traveled extensively and played his music all over the world.

My music is informed by the ceremonial music that I've heard all my life. What I create comes out of my body and soul in a desire to take care of the spirits of the earth.

His first flute came when he was 18 with money he borrowed from his grand mother, and shortly afterwards he had the opportunity to meet Native American flute player Carlos Nakai.

When we met he looked at my hands and laughed. He said, I have that same scar. It's the scar of the flute maker.

In the years since, Robert has continued the evolution of his flute making and has also become a concert performer and recording artist. His eight albums of traditional music, rock and roll, and spoken word present a contemporary view of American Indian life that is unequaled.

A leading proponent of world music, Robert has merged his indigenous American sound with those of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, tapping into a planetary pulse with a style that defies categorization.

My travels have provided me with experiences that I could have never imagined, and exposed me to a global sound and a global voice.

Whether as a composer, songwriter or musician, Robert has won many honors including two-time Native American Artist of the Year, three-time Songwriter of the Year, and a 2006 Grammy Award for "Sacred Ground," Best Native American Album of the Year .

His 2002 breakthrough PBS musical production, Music From a Painted Cave, remains a benchmark of mainstream Native American storytelling.

A new recording, Johnny Whitehorse, blends all of Robert's influences into a musical landscape that conjures up both the historic and contemporary West.

His first novel, Running Alone in Photographs, is nearing completion. His first book of poetry, Skeletons of a Bridge will be shortly reissued.