{{Short description|American blues musician and music critic (1939–2019)}} {{For|the NASCAR crew chief|Tony Glover (NASCAR)}} {{use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians --> | name = Tony Glover | image = Tony Glover.jpg | caption = Glover in 1982 | image_size = | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = David Curtis Glover | alias = Little Sun | birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|10|07}} | birth_place = Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|5|29|1939|10|7}} | origin = | death_place = St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | instrument = {{hlist|Harmonica|vocals|guitar}} | genre = {{hlist|Blues|folk}} | occupation = {{hlist|Musician|author}} | years_active = 1963–2019 | label = {{hlist|Elektra|Red House}} | past_member_of = Koerner, Ray & Glover | website = }} '''David Curtis Glover''' (October 7, 1939&nbsp;– May 29, 2019), better known as '''Tony "Little Sun" Glover''', was an American blues musician and music critic.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7cQmRsLgN8C&q=%22critic+tony+glover%22&pg=PA196|access-date=June 22, 2013 | title=Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock|page=196|last=DeRogatis|first=Jim|author-link=Jim DeRogatis|year=2003|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=1617802158}}</ref> 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== 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wirz.de/music/krgfrm.htm |title=Illustrated Discography|website=Wirz.de|access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref> The group never rehearsed together or did much at all together. Ray referred to the group as "Koerner and/or Ray and/or Glover".<ref name="BRH">''Blues, Rags and Hollers: The Koerner, Ray & Glover Story''. 1995. Latch Lake (Video documentary)</ref>

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." <ref name="Dylan2011">{{cite book | last=Dylan | first=Bob | title=Chronicles, Volume One | publisher=Simon and Schuster | publication-place=London | date=2011-07-07 | isbn=978-0-85720-958-0 | chapter=Chapter 5: River of Ice}}</ref>

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.<ref name="BRH" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.routledge.com/Blues-with-a-Feeling-The-Little-Walter-Story-1st-Edition/Glover-Dirks-Gaines/p/book/9780415937115|title=Blues with a Feeling: The Little Walter Story, 1st Edition (Paperback) - Routledge|website=Routledge.com|access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kfai.org/events/station-events/spider-john-koerner-tony-glover-perform-at-red-house-live-series-at-landmark |title=Spider John Koerner & Tony Glover Perform at the Red House Live Series at the Landmark Center |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date=November 15, 2013 |website=Kfai.org |access-date=9 January 2014 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129015133/http://kfai.org/events/station-events/spider-john-koerner-tony-glover-perform-at-red-house-live-series-at-landmark |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Death== Glover died on May 29, 2019, in St. Paul, Minnesota at the age of 79.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/obituaries/tony-glover-dead.html|title=Tony Glover, Master of the Blues Harmonica, Is Dead at 79|first=Richard|last=Sandomir|date=June 5, 2019|website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-blues-hero-tony-glover-an-influence-on-dylan-and-the-stones-dies-at-79/510605432/|title=Minnesota blues hero Tony Glover, an influence on Dylan and the Stones, dies at 79|newspaper=Star Tribune|access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref> In 2020 an auction of his memorabilia and effects netted $495,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/22/entertainment/bob-dylan-tony-glover-auction-trnd/index.html |title=Unpublished Bob Dylan lyrics, letters sell for nearly half a million dollars |first=Susannah |last=Cullinane |publisher=CNN |date=November 22, 2020 |access-date=2022-07-12}}</ref>

==Awards and honors== [[File:Koerner Ray & Glover - First Avenue Star.jpg|thumb|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.<ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | author-link = | title = Tony Glover official web site | website=Mwt.net | date = | url = http://www.mwt.net/~koerner/tonyglover.html | doi = | access-date = October 8, 2010}}</ref>

In 2008, Koerner, Ray & Glover were inducted into the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame under the category Blues Recordings for ''Blues, Rags and Hollers''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gtcbms.org/hof/hof08.html|title=Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame 2008|website=Gtcbms.org|access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref>

Koerner, Ray & Glover has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,<ref name="FirstAveStars">{{cite web |url=http://first-avenue.com/about/thestars |title=The Stars |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=First Avenue & 7th Street Entry |publisher= |access-date=2020-05-10 |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418135117/https://first-avenue.com/about/thestars |url-status=dead }}</ref> recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.<ref name="StarTribune2019">{{cite news |last=Bream |first=Jon |url=https://www.startribune.com/10-things-you-ll-learn-about-first-avenue-in-new-minnesota-history-center-show/509374312/ |title=10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show |work=Star Tribune |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota |date=2019-05-03 |access-date=2020-05-10 }}</ref> Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.<ref name="MSPMag2019">{{cite news |last=Marsh |first=Steve |url=http://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/first-avenue-star-wall/ |title=First Avenue's Star Wall |work=Mpls.St.Paul Magazine |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota |date=2019-05-13 |access-date=2020-05-10 }}</ref>

==Discography== *with Koerner, Ray & Glover **''Blues, Rags and Hollers'' (1963) **''Lots More Blues, Rags and Hollers'' (1964) **''The Return of Koerner, Ray & Glover'' (1965) **''Good Old Koerner, Ray & Glover'' (1972) **''One Foot in the Groove'' (1996) * with Dave Ray ** ''Legends in Their Spare Time'' (1987) ** ''Ashes in My Whiskey'' (1990) ** ''Picture Has Faded'' (1993) *with John Koerner **''Live @ The 400 Bar'' (2009) *with V3 (w. Galen Michaelson and Jon Rodine) **''V3'' (2004)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.mwt.net/~koerner/tonyglover.html Tony Glover official web page] * [http://www.wirz.de/music/krgdsc.htm Illustrated Koerner, Ray & Glover discography] * {{Discogs artist|Tony Glover}} * [https://www.discogs.com/artist/1231800-Koerner-Ray-Glover Koerner, Ray & Glover discovery at Discogs] * [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tony-glover-mn0000002426/credits Credits at allmusic.com] {{Koerner, Ray & Glover}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glover, Tony}} Category:1939 births Category:2019 deaths Category:Musicians from Minneapolis Category:American male singers Category:Songwriters from Minnesota Category:American blues singers Category:American blues harmonica players Category:American blues guitarists Category:American male guitarists Category:Singers from Minnesota Category:Guitarists from Minnesota Category:20th-century American guitarists Category:20th-century American male musicians Category:American male songwriters