In spite of the (2005) label on the YouTube, it was recorded in 2002 shortly before Dave Ray died. John Koerner, Tony Glover and Dave Ray were part of the Minnesota West Bank folk scene in the early 60s, which included Bobby Zimmerman from up on the Range. He learned from these guys, became Bob Dylan and went to Greenwich Village. K, R & G stayed home playing traditional music for tips in bars. Koerner continued playing every Sunday at the Viking Bar until it was razed in name of "progress" about four years ago. The last I heard he was building boats and playing he can get a gig. The keyboards are played by another old home boy, Willie Murphy.
3 comments:
I had front row seats for BB King at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis in the mid-90's. R and G were the warm up act. I saw Koerner many more times solo. The first time I saw K was at First Ave in the early 90's. I didn't know who he was. He was warming up for the great D.C. Telecaster player Danny Gatton. He came out with his 12-string, sat down and belted out some of the most authentic blues I'd ever heard.
I never saw all three together.
The Viking Bar wasn't razed. It's still standing, with a "Gone Fishin'" sign above the door. The owner didn't want to comply with the no-smoking law, so he shut the place up. K & G still perform regularly, sometimes together. So does Willie M. who now has a big brass band. Another of their hangouts, the 400 Bar, has switched over to a younger demographic.
Cheri
"Razed" was incorrect.
"...apparently it wasn't enough to cover loss of business due to the smoking ban."
-Brett Baldwin, Minnesota Public Radio
47 years. The smoking ban may have put the final nail in the coffin, but it probably was taste and demographics that killed it.
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