A.C. Reed – born Aaron Corthen on May 9, 1926 in Wardell, Missouri – was a blues
saxophonist. He grew up in southern Illinois and, during World War II, he
relocated to Chicago. He began making a name for himself on the Chicago blues
scene when he played with acts like Earl Hooker and Willie Mabon. He took his
stage name from his friend, legendary blues vocalist and guitarist Jimmy Reed.
He continued to play locally and by the 1950s, he was a popular sideman, touring
with artists like Dennis ‘Long Man’ Binder. In the ‘60s, he had become an
in-demand session musician, backing up mu...