Remembering Dave Ray
Wednesday 04 December @ 11:00:22 |
 by Ed Felien & Dick Houff
So many people have already said such nice things about Dave Ray that you almost forget he had a wicked and salty sense of humor. And you could easily be the target if you were anywhere near.
He and M. J., his wife, began one of the more endearing traditions of the West Bank, The Annual Battle of the Jug Bands. Scheduled for the middle to end of February, it happens during the winter when you’ve just about lost it to cabin fever. If you’re lucky, you’ve been playing music with a couple of friends. You’ve learned a few new songs, or polished up one or two old ones. And you believe you’re ready to show the world how good you are. Part music recital, part West Bank reunion, part chaos and a large part good food and good times, the Battle of the Jug Bands is an event that breathes hope into the depth of the Minnesota winter. To keep order, Dave Ray assumed the role of Sheriff. His major job was to watch over the prized Waffle Iron that was awarded each year to the best jug band. And every year, without fail, Judy Larson would steal the waffle iron and Dave would have to get it back.
With the Sheriff gone, the citizens are fearful things may not get out of hand this year.
Dave Ray loved music. He must have, to put up with six to eight hours of screeching and hollering at the Battle of the Jug Bands. He was very professional in his own performances. A stern critic of his own work, he thrilled to amateurs picking up guitars and belting out songs. He understood music is not just virtuoso guitar picking, but that it’s probably best when it’s a celebration of community. (Ed Felien)
November 28, 2002; this year’s Thanksgiving Day... Dave Ray passed away. He was one of the finest undisclosed 12 string guitarists in the world. A stimulus for a generation of players that grounded John Lennon, Bonnie Raitt, The Doors, and numerous luminaries in the music industry—both known and unknown. During the early Sixties he teamed up with friends John Koerner, and Tony Glover and formed the trio “Koerner, Ray, and Glover,” promptly discovered and signed by Electra Records. The three albums they laid down are remembered and considered classics; they played an enormous role in the Sixties folk/blues revival.
Koerner, Ray, and Glover cut six albums in total for Electra, which included three solo projects. Dave Ray’s Fine Soft Land was an influential album in regards to my own playing. The record was released in 1967, and it quite literally changed my life as a young musician.
With Dave’s untimely death, we lost a powerful voice, and a man of passion. He will be missed, but not forgotten. (Dick Houff)
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