Koerner, Ray & Glover's blog

After his disappointing experience in California, Jac Holzman moved back to New York where he immediately discovered the debut album by Koerner, Ray & Glover, Blues Rags And Hollers, originally appearing on the Audiophile label and sold only at gigs. Slightly re-vamped, it was given a full release by Elektra in 1963.

John Koerner, Dave Ray and Tony Glover were young white country blues fanatics, like Dylan, from Minneapolis and it was their album which got Jac Holzman back on track - basic, committed roots music. The Doors’ Robbie Krieger was a huge fan of the trio whose brash seven and 12 string guitars combined with Glover‘s gutsy harmonica. “It had a real beat,” says Krieger, “‘even though they didn‘t use bass or drums.”

Two further albums by the trio - Lots More Blues Rags And Hollers and The Return Of Koerner Ray & Glover plus a handful of albums credited individually to Dave “Snaker” Ray and “Spider” John Koerner (both featuring Glover’s harmonica work) all ploughed the same field - no frills, both originals and blues classics learnt from Leadbelly, Bukka White, and Memphis Minnie.