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Tony Glover

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For the NASCAR crew chief, see Tony Glover (NASCAR).

Tony Glover
Glover in 1982
Glover in 1982
Background information
Birth nameDavid Curtis Glover
Also known asLittle Sun
Born(1939-10-07)October 7, 1939
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedMay 29, 2019(2019-05-29) (aged 79)
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
  • Blues
  • folk
Occupations
  • Musician
  • author
Instruments
  • Harmonica
  • vocals
  • guitar
Years active1963–2019
Labels
Formerly ofKoerner, Ray & Glover

David Curtis Glover (October 7, 1939 – May 29, 2019), better known as Tony "Little Sun" Glover, was an American blues musician and music critic.[1] He was a harmonica player and singer associated with "Spider" John Koerner and Dave "Snaker" Ray during the early 1960s folk revival. Together, the three released albums under the name Koerner, Ray & Glover. Glover was also the author of diverse "harp" (blues harmonica) songbooks and a co-author, along with Ward Gaines and Scott Dirks, of an award-winning biography of Little Walter, Blues with a Feeling: The Little Walter Story.

Biography

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Glover was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1939. As a teenager he performed in various local bands, playing guitar before taking up the blues harp. In 1963 he joined John Koerner and Dave Ray to form the blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover. From 1963 to 1971, either solo or in some combination of the trio, they released at least one album a year.[2] The group never rehearsed together or did much at all together. Ray referred to the group as "Koerner and/or Ray and/or Glover".[3]

Bob Dylan knew Koerner, Ray and Glover during his days as a nascent folk musician in the Dinkytown neighborhood of Minneapolis in the early 1960s, and wrote about them in his autobiography, Chronicles. Dylan, Koerner, and Glover sometimes played together, and Dylan wrote of his admiration for Glover's harmonica playing: "He cupped it in his hands and played like Sonny Terry or Little Walter." [4]

In the late sixties, Glover was an all-night underground disc jockey on KDWB-AM in Saint Paul, Minnesota before forming the band Nine Below Zero. He also often performed as a duo with Ray and with Koerner, Ray & Glover reunion concerts.[3] In 2007, he produced a documentary video on the trio, titled Blues, Rags and Hollers: The Koerner, Ray & Glover Story.

Glover was the author of several blues harp songbooks and a co-author, along with Ward Gaines and Scott Dirks, of an award-winning biography of Little Walter, Blues with a Feeling: The Little Walter Story, published in 2002.[5]

Glover was a prolific rock critic, having written articles for the Little Sandy Review (1962–1963), Sing Out! (1964–1965), Hullabaloo/Circus (1968–1971), Hit Parader (1968), Crawdaddy (1968), Eye (1968), Rolling Stone (1968–1973), Junior Scholastic (1970), Creem (1974–1976), Request (1990–1999), Twin Cities Blues News (1996-2006), MNBlues.com (1999–present) and the Twin Cities Reader and City Pages. He also wrote liner notes for albums by John Hammond, Sonny Terry, John Lee Hooker, Michael Lessac, Sonny & Brownie, Willie & the Bees, The Jayhawks, and for The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert.

Glover taught harmonica to David Johansen and Mick Jagger.[6]

Death

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Glover died on May 29, 2019, in St. Paul, Minnesota at the age of 79.[7][8] In 2020 an auction of his memorabilia and effects netted $495,000.[9]

Awards and honors

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Koerner, Ray & Glover's star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue

In 1983 the Minnesota Music Academy named Koerner, Ray and Glover "Best Folk Group" and in 1985 inducted them into the MMA Hall of Fame.[10]

In 2008, Koerner, Ray & Glover were inducted into the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame under the category Blues Recordings for Blues, Rags and Hollers.[11]

Koerner, Ray & Glover has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,[12] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.[13] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.[14]

Discography

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References

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  1. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (2003). Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 196. ISBN 1617802158. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  2. ^ "Illustrated Discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Blues, Rags and Hollers: The Koerner, Ray & Glover Story. 1995. Latch Lake (Video documentary)
  4. ^ Dylan, Bob (July 7, 2011). "Chapter 5: River of Ice". Chronicles, Volume One. London: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-85720-958-0.
  5. ^ "Blues with a Feeling: The Little Walter Story, 1st Edition (Paperback) - Routledge". Routledge.com. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  6. ^ "Spider John Koerner & Tony Glover Perform at the Red House Live Series at the Landmark Center". Kfai.org. November 15, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  7. ^ Sandomir, Richard (June 5, 2019). "Tony Glover, Master of the Blues Harmonica, Is Dead at 79". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Minnesota blues hero Tony Glover, an influence on Dylan and the Stones, dies at 79". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  9. ^ Cullinane, Susannah (November 22, 2020). "Unpublished Bob Dylan lyrics, letters sell for nearly half a million dollars". CNN. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  10. ^ "Tony Glover official web site". Mwt.net. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
  11. ^ "Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame 2008". Gtcbms.org. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  12. ^ "The Stars". First Avenue & 7th Street Entry. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  13. ^ Bream, Jon (May 3, 2019). "10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show". Star Tribune. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  14. ^ Marsh, Steve (May 13, 2019). "First Avenue's Star Wall". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
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