Black Eagle, a drum group from Jemez Pueblo, is making history today at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.

According to the group's producer, Tom Bee, the musicians will be the first American Indians in history to perform at the Grammys, which celebrates artistic achievement in pop, jazz, blue, rap, classical, folk and other musical recordings.

The group is scheduled to be the opening act at the ceremony, which begins at 1:30 p.m. at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Jemez drummers, who have been nominated each of the last three years, won a Grammy in 2004 in the Best Native American Music Album category. Their album Straight Up Northern is up for a Grammy this year in the same category.

The chance to perform live on stage came after a year-long lobbying effort by Bee, CEO of the drum group's Albuquerque recording company, Sound of America Records, or SOAR. Bee urged the Recording Academy, which picks the winners, to make amends for a feather-and-war-paint performance last year by the band OutKast.

'Healing process'

OutKast's Andre 3000 and his backup dancers performed the song Hey Ya! clothed in neon-green outfits and wearing feathers, fringe and war paint. To many American Indian viewers, including the Black Eagle drummers, the performance came across as a derogatory portrayal of American Indian culture and suggested American Indian music is sung with only the words hey ya.

"I wrote a letter to the academy about wanting them to make up for that slap in the face," Bee said.

He campaigned all year for Black Eagle, hoping to arrange for them to share the stage with a rock group, but the academy couldn't do that, Bee said.

But suddenly, three weeks ago, the academy reversed itself and invited Black Eagle to open the awards ceremony.

Although the invitation was a last-minute one -- and the performance won't be part of the live evening telecast -- Bee said the group considered it an honor to perform at the most prestigious music awards in the world.

"This is a big deal," he said. "At least this is a start to the healing process from last year."

Since Black Eagle got the call, said George Toya, the group's manager, the musicians have been practicing in the evenings Mondays through Fridays for their 15-minute performance. First, members of the group will sit together and sing at the drum; the second portion of their performance will feature the group standing and holding hand drums while they sing songs from Straight Up Northern.

Native voices

Black Eagle sings in a style that originated in Northern tribes and is known for high-pitched voices and faster drum beats.

"I fell in love with this type of music in the Northern state of Montana," said Malcom Yepa, founder and leader of the group.

The group originated in 1989 under Yepa's leadership and has released seven albums since then. In 2004, it sold several thousand records, Bee said. Since the music is vastly different from rock 'n' roll or hip-hop, it sells best regionally, Bee added.

"The thing about it is, they sell steady for many years," he said. "Whereas a rock record might expire after a few years, a traditional record will keep selling for years."

David Toledo, first lieutenant governor of Jemez Pueblo, said he feels honored to know Black Eagle. Everyone in the community will be watching the Grammys, he said, hoping to catch a glimpse of them. "It's good for Native Americans to be recognized for their music," he added.

Kevin Shendo, second lieutenant governor of the pueblo, said the group has brought recognition to not only themselves but to the Jemez people. "As they travel and move beyond the boundaries of our homeland, they carry the heart and the blessings of the Jemez people," he said.

Down to business

Tuesday night, the group got together for one last practice at the pueblo's Walatowa Youth Center before driving to Los Angeles the following morning.

Children and teenagers gathered in the gymnasium, waiting for them to sing. The singers cleared their throats and shifted in their chairs.

Once they were ready, the lead singer's voice rang out alone, singing high in Towa, the pueblo language. Their drumsticks hit the middle of the drum softly as the rest of the singers fell in together, and they began to sing in unison. Their faces strained as they sang harder and louder to match the crescendoing drumbeats. The "lady singers," as they are known in Indian country, joined in, balancing the male voices.

When they finished, exhaustion showed on their faces, and they turned their heads to Bee, who said, "That was eight minutes."

The singers stood up and picked up their hand drums. They began to form a semicircle, with the lady singers standing behind them. They began a different, slower beat and bent their knees to the beat as they sang.

Though TV viewers won't see the drum group's performance, Bee said, the best musicians in the world and the top music professionals will be there to hear it. "I think the performance by Black Eagle will open up a lot of minds and hearts."

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