Primeaux & Mike

Verdell Primeaux has a pretty dramatic story: he was diagnosed with spinal and yellow meningitis at birth, prompting his father to go to work harvesting peyote (then illegal) and performing Native American Church ceremonies over his son. Primeaux was cured, but the experience has marked his life. Active in the church and traditional Lakota music, Primeaux first recorded at age thirteen and began composing at age thirteen. In recent years he's teamed up with Johnny Mike to record unusual peyote ceremony music: vocal music minus the traditional drum and/or rattle accompaniment. Their work has won awards and got the attention of The Band's Robbie Robertson.