How a 1960s British ‘Cowboy’ Instrumental Became a Staple of Early New York City Hip-Hop

The music and audio channel Mixed Signals looked at how the British “cowboy” instrumental “Apache” traveled from London to the United States to become a staple of the early 1980s and 1990s Hip-Hop songs in New York City, specifically The Bronx.

The original song was written by Jerry Lordan and performed by The Shadows. The song was released in 1960 and remained on the charts for weeks, particularly due to the incredible dexterity of guitarist Hank Marvin. Lordan said he was inspired by a Burt Lancaster film.

Jerry Lorden found profound inspiration in a 1954 Bert Lancaster Western film titled “Apache”. Captivated by the cinematic imagery of the American West, Lorden penned an instrumental track specifically engineered to evoke the courage an savagery of Lancaster’s character in the film. 

Then through a tragic set of circumstances, Michael Viner, who was the aide to Robert F. Kennedy, decided to quit politics and become a musician. His band, the Incredible Bongo Band, rerecorded “Apache” in 1973. This is the version that went on to become a cornerstone of early hip hop music in New York City.

We are following the story of the song Apache, a Western-inspired tune in the 60s that was reworked in the 70s by RFK’s former aide, and eventually gave birth to hip-hop and sampled in countless tracks from different genres, before becoming a meme again in the 90s and 2000s.