In an era when white performers tackling blues material stood out as something unusual, three University of Minnesota students bonded over their shared passion for the idiom amid the folk revival of the early 1960s. Koerner, Ray & Glover not only grasped the tradition but actively helped introduce it to broader white audiences, laying groundwork for later stylistic conventions in how Caucasian musicians would approach the form.
Each adopted a vivid stage moniker in keeping with the period’s folk ethos: “Spider” John Koerner, whose approach echoed Jesse Fuller and Big Joe Williams; Dave “Snaker” Ray, devoted to 12-string guitar and the repertoire of Lead Belly; and Tony “Little Sun” Glover, whose harmonica work evoked Sonny Terry. That habit of discarding everyday names for more colorful ones would echo for decades among subsequent white blues acts.
The trio performed in shifting combinations—solo spots, duets, and only occasionally all three together. Their 1963 debut, Blues, Rags and Hollers, demonstrated that the music could be embraced by white players and listeners with the same ease once reserved for standards like “Aunt Rhody.” Two further Elektra releases followed, while Koerner and Ray each issued notable solo efforts. Around the same time Glover authored Blues Harp, an early and still influential guide to blues harmonica technique.
Although they each followed separate paths, the three periodically reconvened onstage. Ray succumbed to lung cancer in 2002 at age 53. The group entered the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame in 2008. Glover passed on May 29, 2019, and Koerner, the final surviving member, died May 18, 2024, at 85.
