Rickey Medlocke, a founding and current member of Lynyrd Skynyrd and frontman for southern indigenous rock band Blackfoot, has released a new single, entitled “Never Run Out Of Road”, via storied record label Rock The Cause Records, to help provide funding, awareness, and resources for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement.  

Per the artist's wishes a portion of proceeds from downloads and streams of “Never Run Out Of Road” will be directed to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC), an organization that works to end end gender based violence against Native American women, proceeds will also benefit other “Seeing Red” based causes, and the International Wolf Center,  TBA by Rickey Medlocke.

“I want to give back to my native community through “Never Run Out Of Road”, and I want to educate others on the MMIW crisis and empower people to get involved”, says Rickey Medlocke who co-wrote and performs on the single.

Being of self-identified Native American ancestry, specifically Lakota Sioux and Cherokee, Medlocke was inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

Stream and download the single here. Listen below.

What is the MMIW movement?

MMIW stands for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. It's a movement that advocates for the end of violence against Native women. It also seeks to draw attention to the high rates of disappearances and murders of Native people, particularly women and girls.

Native Americans are one of the most heavily affected demographics for both sex trafficking and labor trafficking–particularly women and youth. Despite a staggering lack of studies documenting this issue, there is glaring evidence that points to this being a severe problem for indigenous peoples across the map.

In a study conducted at four sites throughout the US and Canada, an average of 40% of women involved in sex trafficking identified as Native American or First Nations.  When taking into account that Native women demographically only comprise less than 10% of the general population, the weight of this study’s statistic becomes shocking.

“Native women have been fetishized, bought, sold, and traded since the initial European colonization of the American continent. The trauma experienced by Tribal Nations at the hands of the U.S. government has contributed to high levels of poverty and substance abuse, as well as isolation and distrust of authority that can both increase the likelihood of trafficking and complicate the legal response.” Quote source  - humantrafficking.org

About “Never Run Out Of Road”:

“Music has taken me from playing with my Granddad Shorty Medlocke to the early days of Lynyrd Skynyrd-to Blackfoot-& back to Skynyrd now for the last 28 years!”, smiles Rickey Medlocke, “Writing and recording is always a part of this. This is new personal music with the "Rickey Medlocke Band". The song "Never Run Out Of Road" includes lyrics relating to my past and ongoing life of touring. This includes all of the Songwriting and Guitar Styling of hard-hitting Southern Rock, with signature Slide Guitar, Double Leads and big Vocals, and arrangement, including some great players and friends of mine. "Never Run Out Of Road...'til the Good Lord Leads Me Home”.

“Never Run Out Of Road”, features musical contributions by Peter Keys - Rhodes Piano (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Stacy Michelle - Backing Vocals (Formerly of Joe Walsh, Meatloaf, Kid Rock and currently a member of Lynyrd Skynrd), Robert Kearns - Bass (Sheryl Crowe), Nick Campbell and Brian Reidinger - Drums, Mark Westlund, Mark Woerpel & Johnny Keyte of Minnesota’s “Them Pesky Kids” - Backing Vocals, with Writing, Arrangement & Production by Rickey Medlocke and Mark Woerpel (Blackfoot), a long time collaborator to Medlocke, as well as Woerpel’s contributions on Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Piano, Organ & Synth.

In Summary: Through “Never Run Out Of Road” we aspire to provide more resources and better care for female members of the indigenous population. For example, training providers to be mindful of trauma-informed responses, to treat each individual as a whole person, and to pave space to hear the story behind each person’s eyes are all important practices in the effort to improve care for those who have experienced violence.

How You Can Help: Download, listen, save, and share “Never Run Out Of Road” on your favorite digital music provider or request to hear it on the radio. Raise your voices. Learn what you can do to help the MMIW movement. Consider making a direct donation to NIWRC.