Eddie Shaw
| Eddie Shaw | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
March 20, 1937 Stringtown, Mississippi, United States |
| Genres | Chicago blues |
| Occupation(s) | Saxophonist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Tenor saxophone |
| Years active | Early 1950s – present |
| Labels | Various |
Eddie Shaw (born March 20, 1937 in Stringtown, Mississippi, United States)[1] is an American Chicago blues tenor saxophonist.
Biography
In his teenage years, Shaw played tenor saxophone with local blues musicians such as Little Milton and Willie Love.[2] At the age of 14, he was involved in a jam session in Greenville, Mississippi, with Ike Turner's band. At a gig in Itta Bena, Mississippi, when the then 20-year-old Shaw performed, Muddy Waters invited him to join his Chicago-based band.[1]
Shaw more or less divided the tenor saxophone duties with A.C. Reed.[2] In 1972 he joined Howlin' Wolf, leading his band, the Wolf Gang, and writing half the songs on The Back Door Wolf (1973). After the singer's death in 1976 he took over the band and its residency at the 1815 Club, renamed Eddie's Place. Shaw led the gang on Living Chicago Blues Vol. 1 and Have Blues – Will Travel (1980), and recorded albums in different company for Isabel Records, Rooster Blues, and Wolf Records.[2]
By the late 1970s, Shaw's own recording career started, with an appearance on Alligator Records' Living Chicago Blues anthologies (1978), his own LPs for Evidence and Rooster Blues, and more recent discs for Rooster Blues (In the Land of the Crossroads) and Wolf (Home Alone).[1]
Shaw's many contributions to the blues include arranging tracks for The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions (which featured Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, Ringo Starr and others) and performing with a list of blues notables that included Hound Dog Taylor, Freddie King, Otis Rush and Magic Sam (on his Black Magic album).
In 2013 and 2014, Shaw won the Blues Music Award in the "Instrumentalist – Horn" category.[3][4] May 3 is now Eddie Shaw Day in Chicago, via a proclamation by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.[5]
Legacy
One of his sons, Eddie "Vaan" Shaw Jr. (born November 6, 1955),[6] joined the Wolf Gang playing on some of his father's recordings. A disciple of Wolf's protégé, Hubert Sumlin, he has recorded two albums of his own – Morning Rain and The Trail of Tears.[2]
Another son, the husky Stan Shaw (born 1952), is a Hollywood, California-based character actor.[1]
Discography
- 1982 – Movin' and Groovin' Man – Evidence
- 1986 – King of the Road – Rooster Blues
- 1992 – In the Land of the Crossroads – Rooster Blues
- 1995 – Home Alone – Wolf
- 1996 – The Blues Is Nothing But Good News! – Wolf
- 1997 – Can't Stop Now – Delmark
- 1999 – Too Many Highways – Wolf – (Recorded 1996)
- 2005 – Give Me Time – Wolf[7]
- 2012 – Still Riding High – Eddie Shaw and the 757 Allstars
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bill Dahl (March 20, 1937). "Eddie Shaw | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. pp. 165–166. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ↑ "The Blues Foundation, Blues Music Awards, Past Blues Music Awards, 2013 – 34th Blues Music Awards". Blues.org. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
- ↑ "2014 Blues Music Awards Nominees and Winners". Blues.about.com. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
- ↑ "May 3 Becomes Eddie Shaw Day in Chicago Illinois". Taiphim.tv. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Today's Chicago Blues". Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Eddie Shaw | Discography". AllMusic. March 20, 1937. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
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