Loly and Pat Vegas where well-known musicians in the rock and jazz "milieu"
in Los Angeles during the sixties.
Born in Fresno, California, of  Native American (Yaqui/Shoshone) and Mexican descent, they started playing in local bands before trying their chance in the big city.

The brothers played with Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson at the Monterey Jazz and Pop Festival before relocating to Los Angeles in 1963. Calling themselves the Avantis, the brothers attempted to cash in on the surf craze popularized by Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys, with such songs as "Gypsy Surfer" and "Wax 'em Down" on the Chancellor label, and "The Phantom Surfer" on the Regency label. The Avantis featured future Beach Boy drummer Mike Kowalski, and their recordings earned them an opening slot on a Beach Boys' tour. The Vasquez brothers also recorded the singles "Let's Go" as the Routers, "Surf Stomp" and "Batman" as the Mar-kets, and "Hotrodders' Choice," "Dawn Patrol," "Double A Fueller," and "Satan's Chariot" as the Deuce Coupes. The 1963 Deuce Coupes' sessions featured impressive session help from Glen Campbell, David Gates, and Leon Russell.

In 1964 the Vasquez brothers recorded as the Sharks, releasing the singles "Big Surf" and "Robot Walk." By the time they had made a musical appearance in the film "It's a Bikini World" in 1965, they had changed their last name to Vegas. They also became members of the Shindigs, the house band on the hit television program Shindig, where they performed weekly with band members Leon Russell and Delaney Bramlett. During this period they also performed session work with pop duo Sonny and Cher, and provided instrumental support to Elvis Presley on the soundtrack to the film Kissin' Cousins. The brothers also managed a residency at the Los Angeles venue Haunted House, which prompted the release of their first full-length album, Pat and Lolly Vegas at the Haunted House, produced by Leon Russell and Snuff Garrett. They became soughtafter session musicians and song writers following their studio work on Dobie Gray's hit single "In Crowd" and the 1967 P.J. Proby single "Nicky Hoeky," which was also recorded by Bobbie Gentry and Duane Eddy.

While fulfilling a residency at a Los Angeles nightclub named Gazzarri's, the Vegas brothers met guitarist Tony Bellamy. A Yaqui Indian who had performed with Dobie Gray, and a member of Peter and the Wolves (a San Francisco band that evolved into the psychedelic band Moby Grape), Bellamy had grown up in a family of dancers and musicians. He had learned to play flamenco guitar as part of his musical education as well, and he was recruited by the Vegas brothers to accompany them on session work with Odetta, John Lee Hooker, and the Everly Brothers. According to Pat, it was Jimi Hendrix who talked the musicians into forming an all-Native American rock group. Vegas told Record Collector writer Jeremy Isaac, "Hendrix was a friend of ours.... and he was half Indian. Once he knew that we were Indian too he used to come and hang with us because of that. Jimi made me aware of my roots: He'd say 'Native American is beautiful, man, be proud of that.'"

"Lolly and I decided we were going to get back to our roots. Everybody said 'No, man, that ain't gonna make it, that ain't gonna happen. Indians don't sing.'  I stopped talking to people because they were trying to talk me out of it. But we took Tony from Gazzarri's, moved into a house and rehearsed for one year straight."
"We found a drummer called Wayne Bibbey," recalls Pat, "but Bobby Womack, who was an old friend of ours, heard that we were putting together a Native American rock group. He said 'Man, I got the perfect drummer for you. He's a guy by the name of Pete "Last Walking Bear" DePoe." ' DePoe was a Cheyenne ceremonial drummer from an Indian reservation at Neah Bay near Seattle, Washington. "Bobby said  'I'll give you my drummer and you give me yours,' " laughs Pat. "Sure enough we switched drummers and that was the beginning of Redbone".

Signed to CBS's Epic subsidiary in 1969, the band took its name from the Cajun epithet "Rehbon", meaning half-breed, and its self-titled debut album, released in 1970, was an extraordinary affair. Think of it: an unknown band producing its first record and releasing a double album.
1970 saw the coming out of "Potlach" containing their first hit "Maggie”. The album stayed in the Billboard charts for four months, while "Maggie" pointed the way to approaching international success.

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