Koerner, Ray & Glover

Biography

In the current climate of the blues band seemingly on every single corner with “another Stevie Ray Vaughan” being touted almost every other tiny, it’s hard to assume a period when being truly a white blues singer was taken into consideration sort of a novelty. However in those heady situations of the first ’60s as well as the folk and blues revival, that’s just how it had been. But into this milieu emerged three teenagers who understood it, known it, and may enjoy and sing it; their brands had been Koerner, Ray & Glover. These were folkies, to be certain, however the three of these did a whole lot — both jointly and individually — to create the blues to some white market and in lots of ways, established certain things set up which have become criteria from the Caucasian display from the music over time. The three of these were university students participating in the School of Minnesota, instantly drawn jointly by their common passions within the music and by the close-knit folk community that been around in the past. As was their will not, they all made a decision to append their brands with multi-colored nicknames; there is “Spider” John Koerner, the Jesse Fuller and Big Joe Williams of the group, Dave “Snaker” Ray, a 12-string-playing Lead Tummy aficionado, and Tony “Small Sunlight” Glover on harmonica, supporting the Sonny Terry end of issues. This simple small work of reinvention resonates up for this time, with myriads of white professionals tossing their mundane appellations out the home window to recast themselves as something such as Juke Joint Slender & the Boogie Blues Blasters. They proved helpful in a variety of configurations inside the trio device, often doing single transforms and duets, but rarely all three of these jointly. Their breakthrough record, Blues, Rags and Hollers, released in 1963, delivered a clarion contact that music was just like available to white listeners — and specifically players — as performing and strumming many choruses of “Aunt Rhody.” While documenting two exceptional follow-ups for Elektra, both Koerner and Ray released similarly fine single albums. Tony Glover, for his component, put together among the initial instructional books on how best to play blues harmonica (Blues Harp) for this time, and its own quality and conciseness still ensure it is the how-to reserve of choice for many aspiring harmonica players. While Koerner, Ray and Glover each pursued specific careers, they continuing to reunite for concert events. In 2002, Ray passed away from from lung tumor. He was 53 yrs . old. In 2008, the trio was inducted in to the Minnesota Blues Hall of Popularity.

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