A.C. Reed

Sax player A.C. Reed was born Aaron Corthen in Wendell, MO, in 1926. He moved to Chicago in 1942 and studied at the Chicago Conservatory of Music until 1944. He played with such blues artists as Willie Mabon and Earl Hooker, then in the 1950s he joined Dennis Binder's Rhythm and Blues All-Stars. In the 1960s he cut a few singles for Age Records and some smaller labels, and soon became one of the most sought-after session musicians in Chicago. He joined the Buddy Guy Blues Band in 1967 and stayed with them for almost ten years. Through Guy he hooked up with The Rolling Stones and played with them on one of their European tours. He formed his own band, The Sparkplugs, and in 1980 they cut four tracks for Alligator Records' "Living Chicago Blues" series. In 1982 he recorded his own solo album, "Take These Blues and Shove 'Em".