| Blues, Rags and Hollers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1963 | |||
| Recorded | March 24, 1963 at the Woman's Club, Milwaukee, WI | |||
| Genre | Blues, country blues | |||
| Length | 50:45 | |||
| Label | Audiophile AP 78 | |||
| Producer | Koerner, Ray & Glover, Paul Nelson | |||
| Koerner, Ray & Glover chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative Cover | ||||
 Cover of the Elektra re-release in November, 1963 | ||||
Blues, Rags and Hollers is the first album by the American country blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover, released in 1963.
The first album of the country blues trio from Minneapolis, Minnesota, had Tony "Little Sun" Glover on harmonica, "Spider" John Koerner on guitar and vocals, and Dave "Snaker" Ray on guitar and vocals. Koerner, Ray & Glover were part of the revival of folk music and blues in the 1960s. In his piece for No Depression magazine, Joel Roberts stated, "Like Bob Dylan, their Minnesota pal and fellow early ’60s folk-blues enthusiast, they combined a deep knowledge of the blues idiom with a sense of humor and irreverence that was absent from the work of many of their much-too-serious contemporaries." [1]
Speaking of the trio's experience playing the music of Lead Belly, Blind Lemon Jefferson and other black blues musicians, Koerner later related, "I don’t understand the psychology of it, but somehow we decided to imitate these guys down to the note. And we decided to go out and drink and party, and chase women just like they did in the songs and all kind of shit. And when I look at it now, it seems weird to tell you the truth." [2]
Despite recording, performing and being billed as a trio, the three play together only on the opening track, "Linin' Track". Of the other tracks, two feature Ray and Glover, one features Koerner and Glover, and the rest are solo performances.
Blues, Rags and Hollers was recorded in Milwaukee in a one-day session. [3]
Originally released on the Audiophile label with a pressing of 300 copies, Blues, Rags and Hollers was quickly reissued by Elektra Records in 1963 without "Ted Mack Rag", "Too Bad", "Dust My Broom" and "Mumblin' Word". These tracks were restored when Red House digitally remastered and reissued the album in 1995. [4] It was also reissued by WEA International along with Lots More Blues, Rags and Hollers in 2004. [5] Koerner, Ray & Glover recorded two more albums for Elektra.
In 2008, Koerner, Ray & Glover were inducted into the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame in the category Blues Recordings for Blues, Rags and Hollers. [6]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [7] |
| Allmusic 2004 reissue |  [5] |
| Allmusic 1995 reissue | [4] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [8] |
| MusicHound Blues | [9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann called it "one of the defining albums of the folk revival. The Minneapolis, MN, trio, with Koerner and Ray on guitar and vocals, plus Glover on harmonica and vocals, were the quintessential young, white collegiate folk-blues enthusiasts from the North striving to play the traditional music as if they were old, black, uneducated musicians from the South. The thing was, they succeeded, not only in re-creating the sound ... but also in writing their own original songs that sounded authentic." [7] Reviewing the 2004 reissue, Steve Leggett wrote, "In retrospect, Koerner, Ray & Glover got it exactly right, approaching their traditional material with a perfect mixture of reverence and fun, resulting in a kind of front-porch acoustic blues that still sounds pretty fresh all these years later." [5] Thom Owens reviewed the Red House Records reissue and called it "a strong, catchy album that nevertheless sounds closer to folkies than the typical British blues record." [4]
In discussing Elektra Records in his biography of Jim Morrison, author Stephen Davis noted that the signing of Koerner, Ray & Glover "gave Elektra considerable street cred" and described the album as "the coolest, hardest-rocking record of the whole folk revival." [11]
In a 1964 interview in Melody Maker , John Lennon called the record one of his personal favorites. In 2016, David Bowie told Vanity Fair that the album introduced him to the sound of a 12-string guitar, and praised it for "demolishing the puny vocalizations of 'folk' trios like the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Whatsit, Koerner and company showed how it should be done." [12]
Dave "Snaker" Ray was an American blues singer and guitarist from St. Paul, Minnesota, and was associated with Spider John Koerner and Tony "Little Sun" Glover in the early Sixties folk revival. Together, the three released albums under the name Koerner, Ray & Glover. They gained notice with their album Blues, Rags and Hollers, originally released by Audiophile in 1963 and re-released by Elektra Records later that year.
"Spider" John Koerner was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as a guitarist and vocalist in the blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover, with Dave Ray and Tony Glover. He also made albums as a solo performer and with Willie Murphy, and was an important mentor to the young Bob Dylan.
David Curtis Glover, better known as Tony "Little Sun" Glover, was an American blues musician and music critic. He was a harmonica player and singer associated with "Spider" John Koerner and Dave "Snaker" Ray during the early 1960s folk revival. Together, the three released albums under the name Koerner, Ray & Glover. Glover was also the author of diverse "harp" songbooks and a co-author, along with Ward Gaines and Scott Dirks, of an award-winning biography of Little Walter, Blues with a Feeling: The Little Walter Story.
Calling Card is the sixth studio album and eighth album overall by Irish singer/guitarist Rory Gallagher. A 1976 release, it was his second of four albums released on Chrysalis Records in the 1970s. Deep Purple/Rainbow bass guitarist Roger Glover co-produced with Gallagher: it was the first time that Gallagher worked with a "name" producer and the only successful such collaboration. It was also the last album Gallagher would do with Rod de'Ath (drums) and Lou Martin (keyboards). After the Tour to Calling Card, Gallagher retained only his long-time bass guitarist Gerry McAvoy and hired Ted McKenna on drums. This revised power trio was Gallagher's line up from early 1978 until 1980.
Black Mountain Rag is the title of a recording by American folk music and country blues artists Doc Watson and Merle Watson, released in 2006. It contains songs taken from albums that Doc and Merle recorded on the Flying Fish label in the 1980s.
Koerner, Ray & Glover was a loose-knit group of three blues musicians from Minneapolis, Minnesota: "Spider" John Koerner on guitar and vocals, Dave "Snaker" Ray on guitar and vocals, and Tony "Little Sun" Glover on harmonica. They were notable figures of the revival of folk music and blues in the 1960s.
Lots More Blues, Rags and Hollers is an album by the blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover, released in 1964.
The Return of Koerner, Ray and Glover is an album by Koerner, Ray & Glover, released in 1965. It was their last recording for Elektra and it would be seven years before the trio's next release.
Good Old Koerner, Ray & Glover is an album by Koerner, Ray & Glover, released in 1972.
Running, Jumping, Standing Still is an album by blues artists "Spider" John Koerner and Willie Murphy, released in 1969. The album is often credited in Koerner's solo discography.
Spider Blues is the debut solo album by blues artist "Spider" John Koerner, released in 1965. He was a member of the loose-knit blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover at the time of its release.
Music Is Just a Bunch of Notes is an album by blues artists "Spider" John Koerner and Willie and the Bumblebees, released in 1972.
Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Been is an album by folk artist "Spider" John Koerner released in 1986. The album was recorded in one evening at Creation Audio studios in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Some American Folk Songs Like They Used To is an album by folk artist "Spider" John Koerner, released in 1974. The album is out of print.
Raised by Humans is an album by folk artist "Spider" John Koerner, released in 1992. It was recorded live to two-track tape at Minnesota Public Radio Station Studio M, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The Kingston Trio (Nick Bob John) (more commonly known as Nick Bob John) is an album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1964 (see 1964 in music). Nick Bob John failed to reach the Top 40, peaking at number 53 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
The Even Dozen Jug Band is the debut and only studio album by the American jug band Even Dozen Jug Band, released in December 1963.
Live @ The 400 Bar is an album by folk and blues artists John Koerner and Tony Glover, released in 2009.
Willie Murphy was an American pianist, singer, producer, and songwriter. He is known for his solo work as a singer and pianist; as a singer, bassist and guitarist for the blues band Willie and the Bees; and for his collaborations with Bonnie Raitt and John Koerner.
March 1963 is an album by folk and blues musician John Koerner, released in 2010.
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