Ralph Carney

Probably best known as Tom Waits' main horn player beginning with Waits' 1985 Rain Dogs album, multi-instrumentalist Ralph Carney built an impressive résumé that was both deep and wide. During his multi-decade career, Carney worked with the B-52s, the Black Keys, the Waitresses, David Thomas, Bill Laswell, Victoria Williams, Marc Ribot, Grant Lee Buffalo, Allen Ginsberg, Kathy Acker, and the Oranj Symphonette, and played saxophone, clarinet, and harmonica. However, the banjo was his first love, and he immersed himself in it, along with bluegrass and country blues, as he grew u...