Ralph Carney
| Ralph Carney | |
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Carney in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Born |
January 23, 1956 Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Website | akroncracker |
| Notable instruments | |
| Slide Clarinet | |
Ralph Carney (born January 23, 1956) is an American singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. While his primary instruments are various saxophones and clarinets, Carney also collects and plays many instruments, often unusual or obscure ones.
Carney grew up in Akron, Ohio, and listened to music on a windup record player. His father and an older brother and sister worked in polyester research. Carney showed an early interest in art, but turned to music in the eighth grade. He started learning five string banjo, violin and harmonica and played bluegrass and country blues. At age 15 he started to play saxophone. He also worked in the mall record store.
Carney got his start as a professional musician as a founding member of the band Tin Huey. He is perhaps best known for his long association with singer Tom Waits, and has also recorded or performed with Dieselhed, Marc Ribot, The B-52's, Elvis Costello, Jonathan Richman, Les Claypool, Stan Ridgway, Medeski Martin & Wood, Jed Davis, Bill Laswell, and HowellDevine, among others. Carney has released several solo albums and was a member of the Oranj Symphonette with fellow Waits alumni Joe Gore and Matt Brubeck. He also heads up San Francisco's Carneyball Johnson, playing on saxophones, Turkish clarinet, piccolo, trumpet, percussion and vocals. The band also features Channel 23 alumnus Kimo Ball on guitar and vocals; Scott Johnson on drums and vocals; and Allen Whitman on bass and vocals.
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