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.
A.C. Reed | |
|---|---|
 Reed in 1980 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Aaron Corthen |
| Born | May 9, 1926 Wardell, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 2004 (aged 77) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1940s–2004 |
Biography
editReed 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- Take These Blues and Shove 'Em (Rooster Blues, 1982)
- I Got Money (Blue Phoenix, 1986) (with Maurice John Vaughn)
- I'm in the Wrong Business! (Alligator Records, 1987)
- Junk Food (Delmark Records, 1998)[5]
With Magic Sam
- Rockin' Wild in Chicago (Delmark, 1964 [2002])[6]
With Albert Collins
- Ice Pickin' (Alligator, 1979)
- Frostbite (Alligator, 1980)
- Don't Lose Your Cool (Alligator, 1983)
- Live in Japan ( Alligator,1984)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b [1] Archived October 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d "A.C. Reed | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ "A.C. Reed | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ "Rockin' Wild in Chicago - Magic Sam | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2021.