Dave "Snaker" Ray (August 17, 1943 – November 28, 2002)[1] was an American blues singer and guitarist from St. Paul, Minnesota, and was associated with Spider John Koerner and Tony "Little Sun" Glover in the early Sixties folk revival.

They gained notice with their album Blues, Rags and Hollers, originally released by Audiophile in 1963 and re-released by Elektra Records later that year.

On occasion Tom would play piano and Max saxophone in various iterations of Ray's local bands.

[3] Bob Dylan knew Koerner, Ray and Glover during his days as a nascent folk musician in Dinkytown, a commercial district in Minneapolis, in the early 1960s, and wrote about them in his autobiography, Chronicles.

Determined to continue playing music, Ray lined up steady gigs at local bars and restaurants after hours.

"[6] Ray devoted many hours to diligent practice, running through the paces of guitar greats like Charlie Christian and Freddie Green.

In 1998, Ray and Glover joined with Camile Baudoin and Reggie Scanlan of the Radiators to form a short-lived band, the Back Porch Rockers, which released the album By the Water in 2000.

He continued playing until shortly before his death, notably at a blues folk conference in Princeton, New Jersey.

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] Koerner, Ray & Glover has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,[11] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.