Walela is a trio of singers, named for the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

word for ''hummingbird.'' The group was founded in 1996 by sisters

Rita Coolidge Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945) is an American recording artist. During the 1970s and 1980s, her songs were on '' Billboard'' magazine's pop, country, adult contemporary, and jazz charts, and she won two Grammy Awards with fellow musician and t ...

and

Priscilla Coolidge Priscilla Coolidge (1941 – October 2, 2014) was an American recording artist and sister of singer Rita Coolidge. Life and career Coolidge was born in Lafayette, Tennessee. Between 1969 and 1979, she was married to Booker T. Jones, who produce ...

, with Priscilla's daughter

Laura Satterfield Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay ...

as the third member. Although the band name is Cherokee, none of the members of this band are enrolled or claimed by any of the three Federally recognized bands of Cherokee.

Biography

Featured as part of

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel in ...

and the Red Road Ensemble's album ''

Music for The Native Americans ''Music for'' The Native Americans is a 1994 album by Robbie Robertson, compiling music written by Robertson and other colleagues (billed as the ''Red Road Ensemble'') for the television documentary film ''The Native Americans''. The album was Ro ...

'', Walela is known for their distinctive vocal blend brings. During the

1996 Atlanta Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, Walela performed extensively in the Olympic Park. Their 1997 debut release on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

earned them the recognition of the Nammy Awards (

Native American Music Awards The Native American Music Awards (also known as the NAMAs or "Nammys") are an awards program presented annually by Elbel Productions, Inc., The Native American Music Awards Inc., and The Native American Music Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profi ...

) where they took home the award for Debut Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "The Warrior".

Awards

The group won the

' best debut group and song of the year for 1998.

Discography

''Walela'' (1997)

# Is Everybody Here # Cherokee River # Wash Your Spirit Clean # The Warrior # Muddy Road # Cherokee # Cherokee Morning Song # Wounded Knee # The Whippoorwill # Circle of Light # Earth Children #

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

(in

) # I’ll Turn My Radio On

''Unbearable Love'' (2000)

# Gathering of Eagles # The Sequence # Cherokee Rose # I Know I Don’t Walk on Water # Smoke in the Wind # Bright Morning Star # I Have No Indian Name # Tell Them They Lie # When It Comes # When Love Was All We Knew # God Save Us from Ourselves # Unbearable Love

''Live in Concert'' (2004)

# The Gathering of Eagles # Cherokee River # Cherokee Rose # Wash Your Spirit Clean # I Have No Indian Name # When It Comes # Muddy Road # When Love Was All We Knew # Cherokee Morning Song # Wounded Knee # Tell Them They Lied # God Save Us From Ourselves

''The Best of Walela'' (2007)

# Is Everybody Here # Cherokee Morning Star # Amazing Grace # Bright Morning Star # Smoke In the Wind # Wash Your Spirit Clean # The Warrior # Cherokee Rose # I’ll Turn My Radio On # I Have No Indian Name # God Save Us From Ourselves # When It Comes # The Whippoorwill # Unbearable Love

References

{{Reflist American girl groups American vocal groups