Iroquois exhibit on Native entertainers

Performers with Native American roots featured in exhibitMildred Bailey joined the Benny Goodman Band in 1929 and later helped Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra kick off their singing careers.

Many music fans know who Willie Nelson is, as well as Jimi Hendrix.

This year, staff at the Iroquois Indian Museum expect guests viewing the museum’s newest exhibit might be surprised to learn that Bailey, Nelson, Hendrix, Wayne Newton and dozens of other entertainers have one thing in common: Native American roots.

Bailey grew up on the Cour d’Alene Reservation near the state of Washington and both Jimi Hendrix and Willie Nelson have Cherokee heritage.

The new exhibit, which opened April 1, features memorabilia, photographs and depictions of some of the most popular musicians and performers who, in some cases, approached their work as artists, not as Native Americans trying to get into the field.