| A.C. Reed | |
|---|---|
A.C. Reed in 1980 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Aaron Corthen |
| Born | May 9, 1926 Wardell, Missouri, United States |
| Died | February 24, 2004 (aged 77) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Chicago blues, soul blues |
| Occupations | Saxophonist |
| Instruments | Saxophone |
| Years active | 1940s–2004 |
Aaron Corthen, better known as A.C. Reed (May 9, 1926 – February 24, 2004)[1] was an American blues saxophonist, closely associated with the Chicago blues scene from the 1940s into the 2000s.
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Reed was born in Wardell, Missouri, United States, but grew up in southern Illinois. He took his stage name from his friend, Jimmy Reed.[2] He moved to Chicago during World War II, playing with Earl Hooker and Willie Mabon in the 1940s.[2] He toured with Dennis "Long Man" Binder in 1956, and did extensive work as a sideman for Mel London's blues record labels Chief/Profile/Age in the 1960s, with Lillian Offitt and Ricky Allen, amongst others. He had a regionally popular single in 1961 with "This Little Voice" (Age 29101), and cut several more singles over the course of the decade.
He became a member of Buddy Guy's band in 1967, playing with him on his tour of Africa in 1969 and, with Junior Wells, opening for The Rolling Stones in 1970.[2] He remained with Guy until 1977, then played with Son Seals and Albert Collins in the late 1970s and 1980s.[2] He began recording solo material for Alligator Records in the 1980s.[2] On his 1987 offering, I'm in the Wrong Business, came cameo appearances by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt, and where Reed's singing complemented his morose lyrics.[2]
He played in Chicago with his band, The Spark Plugs, until he died of cancer in Chicago in 2004.[1]