Brothers Patrick and Lolly Vasquez, both of Yaqui/Shoshone Native American descent, were born and raised in Fresno, California. Growing up they developed an intense interest in singing and playing string instruments, with Pat eventually sticking to the bass and Lolly playing the guitar. In the early 1960s the brothers moved to Los Angeles to get in on the burgeoning surf rock craze. They sang backup and played their instruments for several different bands, and for a while they toured around Southern California as their own group, calling themselves, at different times, the Avantis, the Routers, the Mar-kets and the Deuce Coupes. While Frankie Avalon and Annette Furnicello were shimmying under the sun and the Beach Boys were crooning their way to the top, Patrick and Lolly were releasing their own surf rock singles, such as "Gypsy Surfer," "Wax 'em Down," "The Phantom Surfer," "Let's Go," "Surf Stomp," "Batman," "Hotrodders' Choice," "Dawn Patrol," "Double A Fueller," and "Satan's Chariot." They even had a cameo in a 1965 beach party movie titled It's a Bikini World.

Once the surf rock phase receded like the tide, the brothers Vasquez began changing their sound to incorporate more funk, Cajun, Latin American and Native American elements. They changed their last name to Vegas and started working as instrumentalists with established artists, notably Sonny and Cher and Elvis Pressley. They also played various regular gigs at nightclubs in Los Angeles before they started up the group Redbone. Redbone is a Gulf Coast colloquial word that means half-breed, or mixed race. Redbone signed with Epic and issued their self-titled debut album in 1970.

As Redbone, the brothers Vegas scored several significant hits, including "Maggie" and "The Witch Queen of New Orleans." Their biggest hit of all, "Come and Get Your Love," came in 1974. The disco/dance rock single hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.