Subject: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2025) From: Joe Offer Date: 24 May 24 - 05:41 PM Obituary from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune https://www.startribune.com/spider-john-koerner-obituary-minneapolis-minnesota-bob-dylan-ray-glover-bonnie-raitt-palmers-cancer/600366946/?refresh=true Minnesota music legend Spider John Koerner, who influenced Dylan and Raitt, dies at 85 |
Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2025) From: MoorleyMan Date: 24 May 24 - 06:37 PM 2024 not 2025, Joe! Change thread title...
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Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) From: Thomas Stern Date: 24 May 24 - 07:35 PM Condolences to family, friends and fans. The Koerner Ray & Glover albums on Elektra were favourites of the revival blues performers. a lot of good music over the years. There seem to be many recordings available, and some on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=spider+john+koerner Thomas. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) From: John MacKenzie Date: 25 May 24 - 03:11 AM He dropped into Les Cousins in Greek Street one night when I was there and played a few numbers. I still have my copy of Blues Rags and Hollers. RIP Spider John |
Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) From: David C. Carter Date: 25 May 24 - 07:30 AM I still have that album.Made me take an old guitar and turn it into a seven string,doubling on the G. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) From: Big Al Whittle Date: 25 May 24 - 09:26 AM I simply loved his music. The Blues Project Elektra alum was my number one influence. Wore out three copies. Spent all my teenage years playing air guitar to Southbound train. I saw Spider John only twice. Once doing the all nighter at Cousins. And then just a few years back at Topsham Folk Club - by which time he had devolved into a sort of American Carthy doing principally American trad . I know he went around a bit with Derek Brimstone in the '60s. Derek was muted in his approval. He recalled him doing his 20 minute version of Frankie and Albert , and the repeating in the second half. I asked Derek why and he said - "drink, drugs who knows?" Nevertheless I loved his work. His guitar work was simply astonishing and inspirational. I'm sorry I never told him how much he meant to me. I wondered at the time if his song Creepy Johns in telling the story that was inspired by the Boston Strangler killings. In the song he explored the season of terror syndrome caused by a prominent serial murderer - the sensual pleasure the press takes in telling us the story. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) From: Dave Sutherland Date: 28 May 24 - 05:27 PM My all time LP sleeve was that of "Spider Blues" RIP John. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) From: GUEST,Steve Shaw Date: 28 May 24 - 07:02 PM I don't know much about Spider John, but decades ago I bought Tony Glover's "Blues Harp" book which taught me everything I needed to know in those days about diatonic harmonicas. I went off in a different direction in later years with my harp playing but I owe a lot to that iconic book. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) From: GUEST,Mark Ross Date: 29 May 24 - 02:33 PM I got to hang out with John a couple of times over the last 50 years or so. In Elko Nevada, at a Hobo Festival on 2000, we were doing a blues workshop. When John took his turn I joined in on mandolin. As we were packing up I said to John that was fun, we should do it again sometime. John replied we could that night on the main stage that night. He was always a gentleman. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) From: GUEST,PHJim Date: 31 May 24 - 10:06 PM As David C. Carter mentioned above, during the Great Folk Scare of the sixties, Spider John didn't play a 12-string, but a converted 7-string. He put a banjo peg in the center of the tuning head and added an octave G string. This is the guitar he played on "Spider Blues", "Blues, Rags & Hollers", "Lots More Blues, Rags & Hollers", "The Return Of Koerner, Ray & Glover" and probably others as a side man. -Roger McGuinn had Martin build him a 7-string guitar inspired by Spider John's 7-string. -In the 1930s, George Van Eps had Epiphone build him a 7-string with an added bass string. -A few decades after that, Lenny Breau had Kirk Sand build him a 7-string guitar with a high A string added to the six regular strings. So there are at least 3 incarnations of the 7-string guitar, those popularised by George Van Eps, Lenny Breau and Spider John Koerner. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) From: GUEST,PHJim Date: 31 May 24 - 10:09 PM Spider John did switch to a 12-string near the end of his carreer, but the young cigar-smoking Spider John always had a 7-string. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) From: Thomas Stern Date: 01 Jun 24 - 12:24 AM on the subject of modified guitars: Big Joe Williams – Nine String Guitar Blues Delmark DD 627 “Any description of his guitar is inadequate. It must be thoroughly examined to be believed. It is a big flat-top Sovereign acoustic, amplified as an afterthought. Masking tape holds the body together and keeps the pick-up from falling out. An extra set of pegs is attached to the top of the head, and the holes are drilled in the bridge to accommodate the three extra strings. These double the first, second and fourth strings. The guitar is tuned in G (open tuning): d-g-d-d-g-b-b-d-d. Joe plays with the first, sometimes the second fret capoed." Thomas. |
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