Remember Spider John.
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- Опубліковано 23 тра 2024
- Spider John Koerner passed away May 18th, 2024. This video is meant to celebrate John Koerner's legacy, and revisit some highlights to the series I produced with him and Charlie Parr.
Here's a public message from his family:
He was an immensely talented musician, whom David Bowie, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and countless others credited as an influence. He was dad to Matt Koerner, Mia Koerner and me. Grandpa to Nick, William, Charlie, Theo and EJ. "Spider" John Koerner passed away at 2:35am this morning.
My brother Matt Koerner, his grandkid EJ Kalmbach and I were at his side. The music world lost a great artist, and we lost Grandpa John. The rest of the details will come soon. Sleep first. - Chris Kalmbach
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I've seen stars in the daytime
I've seen sunshine at midnight
I've seen good guys do wrong
And bad guys do right
I've seen black crows and white seagulls fly the perfect flight
And another day never fails to bring another night
The moon sails around the Earth
The Earth sails around the Sun
And our own turning around
Counts the days one by one
First breath in a strange land
Breathless at the dealing of the last hand
In between the dream you dream
And the shifting of the sands
. - Spider John Koerner
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This is John's son Chris, the one who wrote the post you're referring to. This is a great video. Owing to his humility, he usually shied away from any press or accounts of his career. But I think he would have liked this one. Well done. Thank you.
I met Spider John back in '72 in Copenhagen. I was 18 and dodging the draft and he was just travelling. Stayed at the same Sleep-in and played a bunch together. Olé Ask put us together again a few years ago on a phone call. He hardly remembered me, but I'll never forget him. A giant among us.
Back in the summer of 2022 I started playing guitar again after not playing for almost 15 years. When I played 15 years ago I played in metal and grindcore bands in South Florida and now I'm way too old for that noise. I started listening to some Son House and Bukka White stuff and decided I wanted to pick up a resonator. So I started doing some research. Tony Polecastro has a whole video about Charlie Parr's playing style, and in it he links to one of Kyle's videos - the 1922 Lesson Video. I watched that and instantly had my mind blown. I could only play fingerstyle with two fingers due to injuries, I connected pretty quickly to Charlie's vibe and I emailed Charlie to ask him a few questions about his guitars and we wound up talking about Spider John for a while. What an eye opener Spider was and what a wild string of connections that led me to John's legacy. As much garbage as the internet foists upon us day after day, sometimes there are some beautiful connections.
His music quite literally changed my life, introducing me to a time, a place and a group of friends for life all because I could not resist that stomping foot, the 12-string guitar and that irresistible voice. Thanks for doing this video and for recognizing great talent, which is what John possessed.
Just learned of John's passing. Loved Duncan and Brady. He was a force to be respected. Have enjoyed KR&G for 50+ years. Loved his rags. Sympathies.
Spider John, thank you. Our lives are the song. We will sing it for you.
RIP, Spyder... One of the greats. Jimmy Bell now lives in heaven.
Not much more to say than my music loving hero. Thank you.
Crazy, last night I saw Charlie Parr at Strings on the Kings. He ended his show with a tribute to Spider John
Well said Kyle. Gotta stop in one day.
I grew up in Rochester N.Y. just down the road from where Spider John grew up. Both our fathers knew each other working at Eastman Kodak. John was 4 years older than me while his brother Peter was 3 years younger. He had an older sister that I didn’t know. I first heard him playing in a Rochester “Coffeehouse in 1962. I played some folksy guitar but fell in love with Spider John’s playing and style. He originally called himself Johnny Berlin while his brother, Peter, called himself Peter Berlin. Those names didn’t last long (whew). John was happy to give me lessons as long as I brought a six pact of beer along with me to his apartment in downtown Rochester. I borrowed a reel to reel wollensak tape recorder from my girlfriend, who lived directly across the street from the Koerner home and was able to record my visits with John. Eventually, using finger picks tweeked up on the end as his, I was able to play most of his early songs pre his first record. These included Creepy John (a different version than recorded) Good Time Charlie, Ted Mac Rag etc. He taught me how to accompany the guitar with a harmonica, on a rack, and for better or worse started in thumping my foot a la john. John had a day job mixing paint in Rochester called Chaplin Owens where he told me because of the noise he would practice singing. I started college in West Virginia and taking the trusty tape recorder along managed to learn even more Koerner songs while fine tuning the whole thing and driving students living below nuts with my foot banging. Some years later during the “Running jumping standing still” time I was fortunate living in Greenwich Village, to see John and Willie perform and spend time in “The Kettle of Fish” catching up on things. Some years later I met up with John at Toad’s in New Haven and later, after moving to Essex Ct, a visited John who was visiting his mother in Madison Ct who I knew from Rochester when she was head of youth worship in the local Presbyterian church. I became friends with Peter Koerner during the summer of 1964. Peter played guitar also and together we had fun trading songs. Spider John’s influence is immeasurable to me. I still play guitar after over 60 years and would never have persued it for so long without his influence. In the 1970’s I was a member of a six piece, very funky, band that played in the Borscht belt and all over NYC. Living in Ct as I do now, I played for 10 years during “Happy Hour” at the Griswold Inn in Essex where I have lived for the past 40 years. From John’s early influence I was able to teach “Roots Music” along with traditional Communication Studies for 37 years at CT State University. I am retired now but still play guitar (at home) and often listen to Koerner Ray and Glover.
I didn’t know of his passing, and sorry to hear. I wore out those Koerner, Ray, and Glover records when they were first released.
Now all 3 have passed. They were a powerful influence on me in the 60s. Still have those albums. Spider John was inventive and unique but it was still the blues as he reinvented it!
Still have my Koerner, Ray, and Glover album. RIP Spider John.
A true legend that “nobody” has ever heard of. RIP Spider John.
Wonderful tribute.
Fair winds and following seas, Spider John.
I was lucky enough to see Spider John in a very small venue in Miami around 1971 or 72. It has been a long time and my memory is pretty worn but when I think about that evening I get a feeling of real joy, I think that is the best part of memories not the details but the feelings they evoke.
Well said man, watched the series, Spider John was special, always remembered
I met Spider John in the late 90’s at the bar of Tom’s Burned Down Cafe on Madeline Island, WI. He was playing there later in the evening. Without any introductions or small talk, he explained all the fine details of the politics behind “Froggy Went A Courtin”. One of a kind, he was.