Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized

Subject: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: GUEST,Mary Katherine
Date: 30 May 02 - 04:05 PM

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune story at

http://www.startribune.com/stories/468/2869419.html

Dave "Snaker" Ray of Koerner, Ray & Glover is hospitalized with lung and brain cancer.

Mary Katherine

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: GUEST
Date: 30 May 02 - 04:43 PM

I don't know him personally, but I do recall hearing from a friend who went to see them at their last performance at the Cedar in the Twin Cities, that he had been ill with lung cancer recently.

Very best wishes to him and his family.

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: GUEST
Date: 30 May 02 - 04:45 PM

And here is a link to his site:

http://www.jdray.com/

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: Wesley S
Date: 30 May 02 - 04:54 PM

That's a real shame. The first time I heard Dave Ray he about scared me half to death. For a 15 year old white kid growing up in Florida and listening to Peter Paul and Mary that Electra LP Blues Project opened up a whole new world. I've listened to him a lot over the years. He always sounded a lot older than his age. My best wishes go out to him and his family.

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: GUEST
Date: 30 May 02 - 04:56 PM

Wesley--go visit his website. It really will cheer you up. The guy has an amazing sense of humor. Also, there is a way to send a message to him at the website.

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: GUEST
Date: 30 May 02 - 05:46 PM

EVERY DAY, about 1,100 Americans die prematurely from the effects of tobacco smoking. That's more than 400,000 per year and every one could have been prevented.

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: GUEST,1st guest
Date: 30 May 02 - 05:50 PM

Sad, but true.

Snaker Ray had quite the tour schedule coming up. I'm sure he will be sadly missed by many who expected to see him this summer.

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 May 02 - 05:58 PM

Wow! What a mind he's got! I love his poem, "Should Have." And, some really hilarious stuff there, too. Sad to know that someone so creative is so ill. I wish him the best,

kat

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: Art Thieme
Date: 02 Jun 02 - 12:29 AM

Dave Ray recorded the first album I ever was on---an anniversary offering from a great folk club in Rockford, Illinois called Charlotte's Web. A whole weekend was taped---Ron Nigrini, Tom Dundee, Richard Pinney, Susan and Richard Thomas, Ron Crick, Rose Hip String Band, Mark Henley, me (2 songs) and Dave did a song -- "Life Saver". The album, on Mountain Railroad Records was called GET FOLKED.

Dave wrote a paragraph on the back:

Recorded 23 May to 27 May, 1973. Mixed and mastered 23 May to 7 June '73 at Sound 80---Mpls.,MN. and pressed at Wakefield--Phoenix, AZ. Recorded and mixed on Crown CX 744 and SX 722 through phase linear 400 to Klipsch Cornwall speakers. Sennheiser, Sure and Electro-Voice mics, Scotch 206 used throughout. Solo track allotment, one vocal, two right room omni. Group mixing on request. The record was completed through five days of live recording, 9 days of mixing and 1 day of mastering. No overdubs. No sweetening. These people sound on this record like they sounded in person. I was asked to make a statement about our company and this paragraph is it.----Dave Ray

Dave Ray and his 2 cohorts in crime (Koerner & Glover) are important links on the blues chain. They wrote their own chapter in the book---did it their own way. I'm damn sad to hear that he's hurting and struggling now. Damn it, Dave, come on. We're all pulling for you !!!

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: Tweed
Date: 02 Jun 02 - 01:36 AM

My thoughts are with him. I'd emailed him a while ago when I first found his site and damned if he didn't write back. And he does have a heck of a sense of humor! He's played down here in Florida more than a few times. Nice man and good musician. Hope he gets through this one.

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 02 Jun 02 - 10:27 AM

Little-known fact: Dave's day job is/was as an insurance agent. I believe he inherited the business from his father. The agency was called "James Ray and Associates", with its office in Minneapolis. (Not to be confused with other businesses with the same name in other states.) He handled the insurance for a small business I once worked for. One of my coworkers, who had met him personally on several occasions, knew him only as our insurance agent, and had no idea he was a musician, let alone a famous one! This was maybe 10 years ago.

By the way, I just checked the phone book (as well as the Internet) and I can find no listing for "James Ray and Associates." I wonder if he closed the business and retired? Or maybe just decided to play music full time?

Naturally I'm kicking myself now for all the missed opportunities to hear him play.

I'm guessing he's not too debilitated at this point, and depending on his priorities, he might perform again. But I wouldn't blame him if he just wanted to spend time with his family and friends from now on. Yes, it's sad, but not too late to be (somewhat) hopeful, in my opinion.

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 03 Jun 02 - 08:31 AM

Damn, another unpleasant reminder that I and many of my cohorts are getting old. Dave is the reason I bought a 12-string guitar. I don't know why, I could never make it sound like Dave. Sometimes I sing like him, though. He's the mark of excellence for me when it comes to white men and the blues. I have every recording I could find by Dave and his cohorts. The only one I regret owning is his voyage into rock and roll entitled "Bamboo".

I wish him a successful recovery, but I know he's fighting tough odds.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Dave 'Snaker' Ray hospitalized
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 02 - 08:49 AM

Damn, another unpleasant reminder that I and many of my cohorts are getting old.

By today's standards, 58 is not old. Take it as a reminder that smoking will probably kill you before you get old.

In 1962, two years before the surgeon general's report, Dave Van Ronk recorded the "Talking Cancer Blues," a song that listed the various cancers that were already attributable to smoking. Tragically, Dave did not pay attention to the words that he himself was singing.