A.C. Reed

A.C. Reed

A.C. Reed in 1980
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
Occupation(s) 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.

Biography

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.[2]

He toured extensively in the 1980s and 90's with his band The Spark Plugs, playing small venues throughout the United States. He and the Sparkplugs performed in Chicago before succumbing to cancer in 2004.[1]

Discography

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Livebluesworld.com - accessed May 2009
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 158. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.

References