Ryan McGrath Koenig (born October 4, 1985 in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States) is an American roots musician. 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 Pokey LaFarge (born Andrew Heissler, June 26, 1983) is an American musician, writer, and actor. Early life LaFarge was born Andrew Heissler in Bloomington, Illinois. The nickname "Pokey" was coined by his mother, who would scold him to hurry ...

in 2008 and began touring extensively as Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three. The band, later shortened to Pokey LaFarge, 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'', and in the 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, New Missouri Fox Hunters, Ryan Koenig and the Goldenrods, and appears as a guest with

The Hooten Hallers The Hooten Hallers are an American blues/ rock'n'roll band that formed in Columbia, Missouri in 2007. History The band was founded by guitarist/lead vocalist John Randall and drummer/ falsetto vocalist Andy Rehm, who performed as a duo and were k ...

, Jack Grelle, Lavender Country, and many others. His debut solo record ''Two Different Worlds'' was released by

Big Muddy Records Big Muddy Records is an independent American roots music record label based out of St Louis, Missouri. Founded by Chris (Kristo) Baricevic in 2005, Big Muddy Records has been a pivotal element in the development of many of St Louis' roots music ...

on October 13, 2017. On December 5, 2017, Koenig was seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle while walking during a tour stop in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. Following the accident, Koenig ceased touring with the Pokey LaFarge band. Koenig released a live solo recording entitled ''The Focal Point Recordings Vol 1'' on December 29, 2018. He followed that release with Ryan Koenig and The Goldenrods, ''The Focal Point Recordings Vol 2'', in December 2019.

Appearances

*Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three appeared in an

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

''Tiny Desk Concert'' series in 2011. * Pokey and the members of the South City Three played on "I Guess I Should Go To Sleep", a track from

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

's album ''

Blunderbuss The blunderbuss is a firearm with a short, large caliber barrel which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity or caliber. The blunderbuss is commonly consid ...

'' released on April 24, 2012.

Discography

Honors, distinctions, and awards

*2011 Independent Music Awards: ''Riverboat Soul'' – Best Americana Album *2012 Independent Music Awards: ''Middle of Everywhere'' – Best Americana Album *2015 ''Something In The Water'' was named one of Peter Jones’ Best Folk Albums of 2015 in the Folk Department of

WTJU WTJU is a Variety formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Charlottesville, Virginia, serving Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. WTJU is owned and operated by University of Virginia. History WTJU was founded in 1955 when ...

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

radio station. *2018 Named as an honoree of The Riverfront Times' STL 77

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koenig, Ryan 1985 births Living people American blues harmonica players 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers Country musicians from Missouri Musicians from St. Louis Singer-songwriters from Missouri American male singer-songwriters American country singer-songwriters Third Man Records artists Rounder Records artists