Ryan Koenig

Ryan Koenig (born October 4, 1985 in St Louis, Missouri) is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and recording artist who performs most often with Pokey LaFarge. Koenig performs and records on harmonica, guitar, guit-jo, banjo, dobro, fiddle, mandolin, washboard, bass, bones, and jug.

Koenig's early career began in 2004 as singer and guitarist for garage-rock band The Vultures. He later formed acoustic blues group The Rum Drum Ramblers with Mat Wilson and Joey Glynn. Koenig and Glynn joined up with Pokey LaFarge in 2008 and began touring extensively as Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three. The band, later shortened to Pokey LaFarge, has toured the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, and made appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Grand Ole Opry, The Marty Stuart Show, The Conan O'Brien show, motion picture The Lone Ranger, and many others.

Ryan Koenig's other current acts include duo with wife Kellie Everett, Southwest Watson Sweethearts, in addition to Rum Drum Ramblers, Sidney Street Shakers, and appears as a guest with The Hooten Hallers, Jack Grelle, Lavender Country, Loot Rock Gang, and many others. His debut solo record "Two Different Worlds" was released by Big Muddy Records on Oct 13, 2017.^[1][2][3] On December 5, 2017, Koenig was seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle while walking during a tour stop in Charleston, South Carolina.^[4]

Appearances

• Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three were featured by NPR on the Tiny Desk Concert series in 2011.^[5]
• On New Year's Eve 2012 Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three appeared on the UK BBC2 Jools Holland's Hootenanny television show.
• Pokey and the members of the South City Three played on "I Guess I Should Go To Sleep", a track from Jack White's album Blunderbuss released on April 24, 2012.^[6]
• Pokey & The South City Three recorded Jack White’s track “Red’s Theater of The Absurd” which appeared in The Lone Ranger 's original score. The film was released on July 3, 2013 and the band made a brief appearance in the movie.
• The Pokey LaFarge band made an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman on July 16, 2013. They performed "Central Time" from his eponymous album.
• The Pokey LaFarge band made an appearance on the APM "live" radio broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion, with Garrison Keillor on October 5, 2013. They performed four selections, including "Central Time", "What The Rain Will Bring", "Garbage Man Blues" and "Close the Door".
• The Pokey LaFarge band performed on The Late Late Show (RTÉ One Ireland) on September 13, 2013.
• The Pokey LaFarge band made an appearance on Good Morning New Zealand on March 18, 2014
• The Pokey LaFarge band appeared for a second time on A Prairie Home Companion on June 14, 2014 in St. Louis, MO. They performed "Riverboat Shuffle", "Bow Legged Woman", and "Central Time" ^[7]
• The Pokey LaFarge band played on episode 136 of The Marty Stuart Show.
• The Pokey LaFarge band appeared in an episode of American Epic television mini-series which first aired on PBS on 6/6/17. ^[8]
• The Pokey LaFarge band appeared on the Conan O'Brien show on August 17, 2017 and performed "Better Man Than Me" ^[9]

Discography

• 2005: The Vultures "S/T" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2006: Casey Reid "Cephalclog" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2006: The Vultures "Spirit of Saint Louis" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2007: The Vultures "Vultures and The Hooten Hallers Meld Minds"
• 2008: Lonesome Cowboy Ryan "Alone with My Friends" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2008: Rum Drum Ramblers "Hey Lordy Mama Mama Get Up and Go" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2009: Bob Reuter's Alley Ghost "Bob Reuter's Alley Ghost" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2009: The Hooten Hallers "The Epic Battle of Good and Evil"
• 2009: Rum Drum Ramblers "Tradin' Dollars for Dimes" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2010: Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three "Riverboat Soul" (Free Dirt Records)
• 2011: Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three "Middle of Everywhere" (Free Dirt Records)
• 2011: Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three "Chittlin' Cookin' Time in Cheatham County" (Third Man Records)
• 2011: Rum Drum Ramblers "Mean Scene" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2011: Bob Reuter's Alley Ghost "Born There" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2012: The Hooten Hallers "Greetings from Welp City" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2012: Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three "Fan It / Shenandoah River" (Evangelist Records)
• 2012: Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three "Live in Holland" (Continental Record Services)
• 2012: Jack White "Blunderbuss" (Third Man Records)
• 2012: Jack White "Live Interruption / Machine Gun Silhouette" (Third Man Records)
• 2012: Jack Grelle and the Johnson Family "Jack Grelle and the Johnson Family" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2013: Pokey LaFarge "Pokey LaFarge" (Third Man Records)
• 2013: Pokey LaFarge "Central Time / St. Louis Crawl" (Third Man Records)
• 2013: Lonesome Cowboy Ryan and His Dried Up Teardrops "S/T EP" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2013: Lonesome Cowboy Ryan and His Dried Up Teardrops "Western Lanes" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2013: Rum Drum Ramblers "XO" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2014: Al Scorch's Moving Company "Vol. 1"
• 2014: Loot Rock Gang "That's Why I've Got To Sing" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2014: Jack Grelle "Steering Me Away" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2014: The Hobosexuals "Definitive Dirtbag: Volume 1" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2015: Pokey LaFarge "Something in the Water" (Rounder Records)
• 2015: Tortuga "West of Eden" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2016: Southwest Watson Sweethearts "Endless Horizon" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2016: Jack Grelle "Got Dressed Up To Be Let Down" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2016: Sidney Street Shakers "Laugh My Weary Blues Away" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2017: The Hooten Hallers "The Hooten Hallers" (Big Muddy Records)
• 2017: Pokey LaFarge "Manic Revelations" (Rounder Records)
• 2017: Ryan Koenig "Two Different Worlds" (Big Muddy Records) ^{[10] [11][12] [13]}

Honors, distinctions, and awards

• 2011 Independent Music Awards: Riverboat Soul – Best Americana Album
• 2012 Independent Music Awards: Middle of Everywhere – Best Americana Album^[14]
• 2015 Something In The Water was named one of Peter Jones’ Best Folk Albums of 2015 in the Folk Department of WTJU, University of Virginia radio station.^[15]
• 2018 Named as an honoree of The Riverfront Times' STL 77 ^[16]

References