BUFFALO JUMP RECORDS - Key Persons
Acclaimed Cree/Salish songstress Fawn Wood weaves songs of longing, hope and the joys of life that uplift the soul and heal the heart.
Fawn Wood was born in Cree Round Dance season on an icy October evening. Through her father, Earl Wood of Saddle Lake, Alberta, she inherited the Round Dance and Pow-Wow singing traditions of his Plains Cree forefathers. Through her mother Cindy Jim-Wood she inherited the traditions and Salish chants of the Whonnock and Stlatlimx peoples. Since then, Fawn's distinct style reflects the confluence of her parents' tribal lineages.
At an early age Fawn would attend Pow-Wow's alongside her mother and father at their big drum, singing out of tune, but happy. In 1988, she traveled with her parents to the Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After travelling 24 hours from Canada, her parents fulfilled their vow by setting up the family drum and singing one song at the Pow-Wow amongst all the well-known singing groups of that day. Fawn sang alongside her parents, her ponytails flying to the beat as the three of them sang an early song by the legendary Northern Cree drum group (of whom her father was an original member). That experience proved to be a deeply inspiring moment for Fawn. While being exposed to Pow-Wows from a very early age, Fawn also grew up singing the longhouse songs of the Fraser Valley and the berry picking songs of her mother's Stlatlimx people
Many years have passed since her parents would fix up their cars to get to a Pow-Wow, knowing they would set up their family drum just to get gas money home. In between then and now, Fawn has had many humbling times that have caused her to be grateful for all that she has now.
In 2006, Fawn was honored to be the first female to win the Hand Drum contest at the Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow. This endeared her to Indian Country and in 2009 she went on to sing "The Proposal" in front of tens of thousands. Fawn represented her family and community in the televised opening of the 11th Annual Native American Music Awards (NAMMYS). Along with her husband, well-known Cree singer Dallas Waskahat, Fawn opened up the televised broadcast of Manito Ahbee's 2010 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Job Titles:
- Licensing and Accounts Manager
- Strategist
Kristen Butler is licensing and accounts manager and content strategist at Buffalo Jump Records. Kristen grew up exposed to Native American musical and cultural traditions from a very early age. Mentored in awareness of Indigenous peoples by Canyon Records' founders Raymond A. and Mary Boley as well as her mother and former Canyon Records vice president Martha Butler. Before and during her 12 years with Canyon Records, Kristen assisted with field recordings of Pow-Wow and traditional music by the artists including Northern Cree, Siksika Ramblers and Blackstone. She assisted with multiple studio productions of various types of traditional, neo-traditional and contemporary Native American/Indigenous music including writing and researching liner notes. At Canyon also Kristen managed digital distribution relations, metadata management and worked on artist royalties. During her time envisioned and implemented a progressive and authentic licensing strategy forging new relationships for artists and resulting in multiple placements for Indigenous artists. Kristen has a Masters of Public Administration and worked in the non-profit and public sectors in the fields of education and AIDS-patient outreach, gender equality and breast cancer.
Russell Marsden is engineer, sound designer and co-creative strategist at Buffalo Jump Records. With decades of experience in the world of audio and music, Russell has engineered several Grammy-nominated productions of Indigenous, World and New Age music. He is an expert engineer for music productions large and small with special expertise in global music featuring traditional instrumentation, podcasts, audiobooks, film scores, sound design, radio & TV broadcast, voice over, and all other audio applications. Russell was mentored by and worked alongside legendary engineer Jack Miller (Duane Eddy, Rolling Stones). Prior to his work with Buffalo Jump Records he worked extensively with legacy label Canyon Records including work with platinum-selling artist and multi-Grammy nominee R. Carlos Nakai. Russell has a proven track record of authentically and respectfully channeling our artists' work into beautiful sonic renderings. Russell sums up his philosophy in this way: "If the sound grabs your attention and emotions, then a big part of the job is done. It is truly a gift to be associated with such wonderful creators and their creations."
For decades, Stephen Butler has been working in the field of Indigenous music/Indigenous music. For 30 years Stephen, shaped and expanded Canyon Records' mission statement to respectfully present the established musical traditions of Native American tribal cultures, while providing an artistic atmosphere where Native artists can express their traditions in new ways. With the formation of his own company Buffalo Jump Records, Stephen continues this work some of today's most crucial Indigenous musical acts. As a committed and trusted ally, Stephen is passionate about working with Indigenous artists to increase recognition and deeper understanding of Indigenous cultures through music. Stephen has produced and/or recorded more than 230 studio and live recordings of Native American traditional and contemporary music. Stephen is also the architect of the "neo-traditional" genre of music created in collaboration with Indigenous artists to express traditional modalities through cutting edge production techniques and informed by artists interactions with mainstream music genres. He has recorded and researched 100+ productions live in the field at traditional gatherings in Indigenous tribal communities across North America. Throughout his career Stephen has combined high-quality production, creative design, marketing, forging of strategic partnerships and community building to create sharply focused productions for mainstream and specialty markets. He focuses and sustains Buffalo Jump Records as an artist and consumer driven production organization by serving the needs of artists while listening to consumer and community trends and needs. He has produced 21 Grammy-nominated recordings and was awarded the Best Producer Award by the Native American Music Association in 2011.