Several characteristics stand out about vegan musician Raven Blackwing. Among them are his wit, plant-based lifestyle, Buddhist approach to life’s challenges, and blue goatee. Yes, he really does have a blue goatee.
“Blue is my favorite color, and I always wanted blue eyes. But I couldn’t have them with my mixed Navajo and Latino blood. So, I have the next best thing. I’m a big city Indian and don’t mind looking strange. I grew up just outside of Hollywood, California. Theatrics come natural for me,” Raven said about his blue goatee.
Raven’s ability to entertain is one of his defining features. He has an innate ability to engage audiences while playing music.
Raven Blackwing is also a dreamer with the good fortune of having his dreams come true. Keep a watchful eye on YouTube. The vegan musician will be adding his name to the platform’s list of vegan cooking shows in the future. After surviving a heart attack five years ago, he is eager to teach others how to reverse illness and disease through plant-based eating.
Meat, dairy, and all the crap they put in processed foods are killing us, and the FDA is allowing it. It’s shameful.
“Meat, dairy, and all the crap they put in processed foods are killing us, and the FDA is allowing it. It’s shameful,” Raven said.
“People need to learn how to eat vegan and how to prepare their own food. By having a vegan cooking show I can help people live better and longer lives,” he said.
Raven Blackwing will play up his role as a vegan musician to add entertainment value to his cooking show. He will tie in tales of his heart attack to extol the virtues of a plant-based diet. The goal of his show is to motivate people to heal themselves through veganism. Along the way, he will help them lose weight like he did when he lost 50 pounds after going vegan.
Couched in humor and real-life stories, the cooking show will provide an outlet for Raven’s cautionary tales about portion control and how coconut oil and traditional foods like native fry bread nearly finished him off.
“It’s hard for people who eat cultural foods to break old eating habits because there’s a lot of shaming, alienation, and ridicule that go into giving up traditional foods,” Raven said.
His show will bust through barriers to demonstrate why eating vegan is an act of love and spirituality.
Raven believes positive thoughts create positive results in a person’s life. He said, “My dreams always come true, and this one for a vegan cooking show will come true too when it’s meant to be.”
The thought of having a vegan cooking show burns as brightly for Raven as his dream of winning “Song of the Year” for his newest composition titled “Native America.” The Native American Music Awards and Association is considering the song for the award.
“I would love to win Song of the Year and perform it with my new band Blackwing in Native American casinos,” Raven said.
Winners are determined by popular vote at NativeAmericanMusicAwards.com.
To understand what made Raven Blackwing so passionate about music, we look back at his childhood.
“I would love to win Song of the Year and perform it with my new band Blackwing in Native American casinos.
Raven Blackwing marked by destiny
Raven Blackwing was born in Los Angeles to a Hispanic-Latino father with roots in Spain and a Native American mother from the Navajo Nation. They christened him Ronnie Hernandez. It was while performing in Canada as the vocalist and lead guitarist for the famed band Redbone that Ronnie felt called to change his name. But that part of the story comes later.
First, we start with the 7-year-old boy who sat quietly in an audience with his mom and dad at a Los Angeles concert, where the legendary trumpet player Harry James was performing to raise money for Latino youth. James had pre-arranged for talented musicians in the local community to join him on stage for the final songs of the night. With great anticipation, Raven watched as his Uncle Bobby walked onto the brightly lit stage with his trumpet in hand.
“My eyes nearly popped out of my head as I listened to Uncle Bobby play the trumpet with Harry James. I was captivated,” Raven said.
That night, the little boy told his dad that he wanted to play the trumpet. Because both of his parents were creative people, they were able to grant their son’s wish easily. Within days Raven was teaching himself how to play the instrument. He had become a seasoned player by the time he entered junior high school and joined the marching and concert bands. He continued playing in both bands throughout high school.
Raven enjoyed playing in the school bands and getting exposed to orchestras and taking part in stage performances. He was devoted to the trumpet. He spent many hours practicing his skills by listening to renown trumpeters and brass bands and studying their musical styles and techniques.
His parents would never have guessed that his loyalty to the instrument would wain. But one unprecedented winter night, on February 9, 1964, Raven was watching the Ed Sullivan Show on TV with his mom and dad. Four young men from Liverpool, England, stepped into the television spotlight and galvanized Raven’s attention. Mesmerized and in complete awe, Raven watched spellbound as the Beetles made their debut in the United States.
In that defining moment in his parents’ living room, the guitar became Raven Blackwing’s obsession. At his mother’s insistence, he continued to play trumpet in the high school bands, but as soon as he graduated, Raven set the trumpet down.
“You can’t smile or wink at girls when you’ve got a trumpet stuck to your lips. But with a guitar, I could flirt with girls while playing music. It was great,” Raven said.
Mastering his craft
Aside from not being able to vamp while playing the trumpet, Raven said he wasn’t best suited for the brass instrument. He played well, but he didn’t fully attain the techniques on trumpet that he had hoped to achieve. With laser focus and an iron will to master his craft, Raven tried to emulate the great trumpet players. But he didn’t advance beyond third chair in the high school bands, and he was never quite able to reach the high notes. He had more passion and talent for the guitar.
Raven had set his sites on becoming a performing artist the moment he saw his uncle step on stage with Harry James. Watching the Beetles on television a few years later sealed the deal. Notes, riffs, and chords coursed through Raven’s veins. He was destined to be a musician.
He taught himself how to play 6-string and 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and bass guitar in the same way he had taught himself how to play the trumpet — through countless hours of practice, perseverance, and natural born talent.
“I played with a lot of big hit guys who were getting older and looking for younger musicians to help them stay relevant with audiences. I was lucky.
By the time he was 15 years old, Raven was performing on public stages in bands that earned money. His first teen band, Midnight Classic, played at weddings, bar mitzvahs, and ticketed events in venues that allowed minors. The adolescent was turning into a rising star.
Raven Blackwing spent his teenage years honing his guitar skills. He formed and played in garage bands and played solo gigs. He cut songs and recorded albums. And he played jazz with the Mary Kay Trio, old stomp blues and boogie-woogie with Big Joe Turner, love songs with Rosie and the Originals, and rock ’n roll with Shirley & Lee. Never missing a beat, the versatile musician also joined the honking rhythm and blues saxman Joe Houston on stage and performed smooth soul with the Chi-Lites.
“I played with a lot of big hit guys who were getting older and looking for younger musicians to help them stay relevant with audiences. I was lucky,” Raven said.
Gaining an edge
Raven’s trumpet and guitar skills gave him a competitive edge and helped establish him early as a musically diverse performer. Having “the ear” for music also set him apart. According to his wife Leslie, Raven has a knack for music and can pretty much pick up any instrument and within minutes play songs on it well. But according to Raven, playing by ear is both a gift and a curse.
When he was younger and taking music lessons, instructors would insist that he follow the musical notes on sheet music. Raven, however, was lost in his own head, hearing music by ear and producing sounds without looking at notational compositions. It was frustrating for both the young musician and his teachers.
After high school, Raven attended college locally to pursue classes in music theory and recording production, Gregorian chants, radio broadcasting, public speaking, and any other coursework that might complement the music career he was doggedly pursuing.
Raven’s father had hoped his son would join him at Rockwell International, where he was an aeronautic engineer, or at the very least become a teacher. But Raven Blackwing was staunch in his determination to be a musician. He wouldn’t be tempted, seduced, or coerced into doing anything other than chasing the stage, where microphones could amplify his voice and instruments.
Raven quit college when he ran out of useful courses to take. He said, “You don’t need a college degree to play music.”
Raven becomes lead guitarist in Redbone
The word “redbone” is a Cajun term for a mixed-race person, which the band adopted to demonstrate their mixed Native American and Hispanic-Latino ancestry.
In 1999 Raven Blackwing auditioned for the band Redbone, the first Native American band to go platinum. The band’s founding member and lead guitarist Lolly Vegas had suffered a stroke and could no longer play in the band. Raven auditioned to replace Vegas and was hired.
The word “redbone” is a Cajun term for a mixed-race person, which the band adopted to demonstrate their mixed Native American and Hispanic-Latino ancestry. The funk rock band originated in the 1970s with brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas. They reached the Top 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in1974 with their single, “Come and Get Your Love.” The song went certified Gold, selling over a million copies.
Redbone also wrote and played on records by Tina Turner, Sonny & Cher, James Brown, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley. In 2008, the legendary band was inducted into the Native American Music Association Hall of Fame.
Band members were proud of their heritage and were accustomed to cultural customs like eating fried tortillas, fried chorizo, fried empanadas, and other traditional foods. Tequila was a beverage of choice.
It was an exciting time for Raven. Redbone lived large and partied hard. Veganism would come years later, after his heart attack. In the meantime, even while on tour, he tried to be mindful of the importance of nutritional health. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t always avoid the pitfalls of a touring artist’s lifestyle and diet — a consequence that would come back to haunt him.
Morphing into Raven Blackwing
The Raven Clan regalia took my breath away. I was inspired by it and took the name Raven Blackwing as another extension of being an entertainer.
It was during the first year of playing with Redbone that Ronnie Hernandez adopted the moniker Raven Blackwing.
The band was performing to high acclaim in Ontario, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver. Redbone was starting to get gigs in the United States and was scheduled to embark on a European tour. That’s when Ronnie decided to take on an indigenous-sounding name to better match the band’s persona.
Powwow regalia
Raven was inspired by Canadian powwow dancers wearing the regalia of the Raven Clan, whose descendants hail from Canada’s Haida Northwest Coast of First Nations.
The regalia dazzled him. An embroidered raven adorns the striking scarlet and jet black capes worn by dancers of the Raven Clan. As the dancers lift their arms, the cape’s black lining flashes against the contrasted scarlet as though a raven is taking flight.
“The Raven Clan regalia took my breath away. I was inspired by it and took the name Raven Blackwing as another extension of being an entertainer. It was a creative move on my part and not meant as a spiritual connection to my Native American roots,” Raven Blackwing said.Â
That being said, in many Northwest Coast Communities stories are told about the mischievous and curious bird. The raven is known as the keeper of secrets and symbolizes long-distance healing. He helps us back to good health.
The age-old adage that all good things come to an end played out in Raven’s time with Redbone. He began playing with the band in 1999 and left Redbone in 2008 to pursue new opportunities in a different direction.
He said, “I value the experience I had with Redbone, and I loved being lead guitarist and vocalist in the band. But, after nine years, it was time to move on. I’ve done music all of my life. I always stay a while someplace and then move on. Money isn’t everything. No matter what, I want to be happy with my music,” he said.Â
Once again, Raven was composing music and pulling together bands. He formed Raven and the Mojo Daddies and began touring again. The band played catchy and original songs which audiences responded to favorably. They produced an album called Sacred Lands.
When he came off of tour with Mojo Daddies, Raven sought to discern what was calling him next. He busked on the Santa Monica pier for three years, playing his original music and feeling good about the songs he was producing.
“It felt good to perform on my own merit, although I realized that having the affiliation and success with Redbone increased my visibility. It bumped me onto a higher level of performing,” Raven said.
I value the experience I had with Redbone, and I loved being lead guitarist in the band. But, after nine years, it was time to move on.
Raven Blackwing goes vegan
Raven Blackwing was on a winning streak when a heart attack brought him and his music to a grinding halt in 2016. He was one of the lucky heart patients who didn’t require open heart surgery. A team of doctors forecast that he would fully recover with a stent placed in his heart valve and a change in diet.
And then something unexpected happened. Raven flatlined on the surgical table. All electrical activity had ceased in his brain. As the surgical team worked to revive him, Raven experienced an out-of-body journey that he fully recalls.
A bright light led him into an open field with a long, outstretched gate. On the way to the gate, his brain synapsis fired and his eyes opened wide.
“I knew it wasn’t my time to die because the gate in the meadow wasn’t an entrance gate. It was a side gate that I couldn’t reach and wasn’t meant to walk through,” Raven said.
Raven spent 10 weeks recovering in bed. People brought him food, and every day he walked around the block with a cane to regain strength and maintain mobility.
The heart attack and out-of-body experience got Raven’s full attention. Motivated to keep living, he became vegan and adopted Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease. Today his lifestyle emphasizes whole foods vegan nutrition, fitness, stress management, and love and support. He lost 50 pounds with his changed diet, and then regained 20 of the pounds back during the COVID mandates to avoid people and stay home.
Today Raven Blackwing is back on track and losing the excess pounds by avoiding cooking oils and vegan junk food. Instead of getting the necessary daily allotment of fat from oils, Raven gets them from heart-healthy walnuts and almonds. He cooks with water instead of oil. The kitchen wizard says there is nothing, no kind of food at all, that he can’t modify to be made vegan and delicious.
Raven’s vegan lifestyle combined with the Dr. Dean Ornish program, Buddhism, and the love of his two sons and three daughters helped him recover after the heart attack.
“Having all of those kids paid off,” Raven laughed. “Each one of them is a great cook, and they all came to bat for me to make sure I had healthy plant-based food while recovering.”
Raven’s wife, five children, and eight grandchildren are vegans. “We all eat well. It’s a family affair,” Raven said.
Buddhists have this great way at looking at resistance in life and releasing all negativity to overcome obstacles so you never give up.
Raven’s heart attack and out-of-body experience weren’t his first near-misses. A year earlier, in January 2015, Raven rolled his Jaguar on a freeway in Los Angeles and walked away without a scratch. On December 15th of the same year, the Overlook Hotel beach flats in Santa Monica where Raven lived went up in flames and burned down. He became homeless in the blink of an eye.
Never give up
Raven might well have been asleep and perished if not for his son, who had enticed him to come to dinner earlier that evening. The musician was back on his feet within eight months with the help of his family, the Red Cross, and his Buddhist beliefs.
“Buddhists have this great way at looking at resistance in life and releasing all negativity to overcome obstacles so you never give up,” Raven said.
COVID setback
“COVID shut down the clubs. Even small clubs were not allowed to open. Here I am raring to go, and the whole world stops. Leslie gave me a way to play music so I wouldn’t go coo-coo. She provided me with a safety net and an alternative way of living in the mountains. It was a really big deal in my life.”
Following his brush with death, Raven recovered his strength and stamina. Within a year he was recording music and performing gigs again. And then the corona virus pandemic struck. He was back in slow motion in yet again another altered universe.
“COVID shut down the clubs. Even small clubs were not allowed to open. Here I am raring to go, and the whole world stops,” Raven said.
That’s when his girlfriend Leslie (later to become his wife) came to the rescue. Leslie managed a lodge and cabins in California’s Eastern Sierra Mountains. It was her idea to invite Raven to perform outdoor concerts during the pandemic summer of 2020 in the attractive tourist area.
“Leslie gave me a way to play music so I wouldn’t go coo-coo. She provided me with a safety net and an alternative way of living in the mountains. It was a really big deal in my life,” Raven said.
As it turned out, COVID had given Raven time to plan his vegan cooking show, research new equipment, and collaborate with his friend, songwriter Lois Chazen, to perform some of her songs about animal welfare. He also spent more time on the computer during the pandemic lockdowns, where he met Leslie, the woman he married on September 20, 2020. The stay-at-home orders also gave Raven time to put together a new band.
New band called Blackwing
Raven is excited about his new six-member Blackwing group. Raven is the group’s songwriter, singer, and guitarist. He has a long history with the band members. Two of them are former musicians from Redbone — keyboardist Garrett Saracho and drummer Steve Roybal, who has vast experience performing in Chicano bands and has been Raven’s friend since he was 16 years old. The group is completed by bass guitarist Tate Sims, keyboard player Craig Tomlin, and percussionist and recording engineer Dave Haddad. The Blackwing sound combines blues, rock and roll, and country.
Raven is hoping that Blackwing will be performing his newest song “Native America” and billing it in their promotional materials as the Native American Music Awards Song of the Year. Raven created a Facebook page to promote and draw attention to Blackwing.
“I have been producing music and pulling together bands my whole life. I’m trusting everything to fall together. I love music, and I’m not resisting or pushing against anything. I feel like next year I will have an agent and Blackwing will be on the road touring in a bus,” Raven said.
Then, when everything falls into place, Raven Blackwing can have his own vegan cooking show and live up to the meaning of the raven symbol — healing others to help them live longer and better lives.
The vegan musician is driven by the desire to help people transform their lives by eating plant-based foods. To produce the cooking show he envisions, he would like to collaborate with someone who has a large commercial kitchen at home.
“I am excited about what lies ahead with the Blackwing group, the song Native America, and the vegan cooking show,” he said.
Raven’s experience of going vegan has been life-changing, and he wants to share this joy with others.
“The foods, the colors, the aromas, the health — everything good is there when you eat vegan. Well, except two things,” he said. “I draw the line on zucchini guacamole and tofu cheesecake.”Â
I am excited about what lies ahead with the Blackwing group, the song Native America, and the vegan cooking show. I have been producing music and pulling together bands my whole life. I'm trusting everything to fall together.
While going vegan is good for your health, animals, and the environment, it’s not an easy transition for some people to make. There is a lot to learn about veganism, especially in terms of how to prepare meals for health and nutrition while, at the same time, understanding the important role vegans can play in saving animals and the environment.
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