Official Luthiers Forum!

Please forgive and enjoy some sentiment involving Dave "Snaker" Ray. He is one of the folks that drove my love of 12 strings and Delta Blues. On one of the K,R, & G albums he does a great "Titanic." He was only 2 -3 years older than I. In later years, my little brother became a truly gifted guitarist, started by hearing my blues collection from the 60's and my hopeless struggles to play.

In the song, Dave sings of the ship "runnin' to a big iceberg." As older adults we would gather at Mom and Dad's and brother and I would play together and "Titanic" was a favorite. Dad would grin and listen and tap his foot, really loved it but always looked a bit confused. Finally(after many years) he stopped us and asked, "I really like that song, the dynamics, the drive, the humor, the irony, but I've never understood-how did the Titanic "run into a big-assed bird?"

Fred and I totally lost it and it has remained a warm and funny way to remember Dad, and now, Dave Ray. He is first heard on the old "Blues Project" album-the original, all acoustic play. Those three guys, John Hammond, and sneaking into clubs in Old Town Chicago destined me to a life of being a frustrated Delta Blues and Chicago Blues guitarist.

All that is what led me to decide to build a 12 string for me in these "later" years.mt

Thanks for "listening" and hopefully, smiling bit.

Great story Mike.
And great advice, watch out for that "big-assed bird"!

Another life-long frustrated blues picker,
Joe

Yes, the bridge plate is quartersawn adi spruce.

Thank you Brad!
Mike, great story. We used to go see Dave most every weekend. Still trying to figure out how he did that Leadbelly shuffle.