A.C. Reed

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A.C. Reed
Reed in 1980
Background information
Birth nameAaron Corthen
Born(1926-05-09)May 9, 1926
Wardell, Missouri, U.S.
DiedFebruary 24, 2004(2004-02-24) (aged 77)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)
  • Saxophone
  • vocals
Years active1940s–2004

Aaron Corthen (May 9, 1926 – February 24, 2004),[1] known as A.C. Reed, was an American blues saxophonist, closely associated with the Chicago blues scene from the 1940s into the 2000s.

Biography[edit]

Reed was born in Wardell, Missouri, and 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,[3] and worked extensively as a sideman for Mel London's blues record labels Chief/Profile/Age in the 1960s, with Lillian Offitt and Ricky Allen, among others.[4] He had a regionally popular single in 1961, "This Little Voice" (Age 29101),[4] and cut several more singles over the course of the decade with Age, USA, Cool, and Nike Records.[3]

He became a member of Buddy Guy's band in 1967,[3] 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.[4] He 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] His 1987 album, I'm in the Wrong Business!, includes cameo appearances by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt.[2]

Reed toured extensively in the 1980s and 1990s with his band, the Spark Plugs,[4] featuring guitarist Jerry "Hot Rod" DeMink, playing small venues throughout the United States. He and the Sparkplugs performed in Chicago before he died of cancer in 2004.[1]

Discography[edit]

With Magic Sam

With Albert Collins

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b [1] Archived October 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c d e f Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 158. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  3. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 301. ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
  4. ^ a b c d "A.C. Reed | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "A.C. Reed | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  6. ^ "Rockin' Wild in Chicago - Magic Sam | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
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