by Steve HueyPop singer/songwriter Rita Coolidge began her career all the way back in the early '70s, but during the '90s, she returned to her Native American roots in the eclectic vocal trio Walela, which also featured her sister and longtime collaborator Priscilla Coolidge and Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield. Walela's music drew not only on the trio's Cherokee heritage, but also on the gospel sounds of the Deep South (the Coolidges' father was a Baptist minister), plus pop, country, folk, soul, and a touch of new age reflectiveness. Walela made its recording debut backing ex-Band frontman Robbie Robertson on his 1994 project Music for the Native Americans; the group went on to perform at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The trio issued its first album, a self-titled affair, in 1997 to good reviews. The follow-up, Unbearable Love, was released in early 2000.