Eddie Shaw (March 20, 1937 – January 29, 2018) was an American

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but is performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of African Americans of the fi ...

tenor saxophonist The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

, arranger and bandleader. He led

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...

's band, the Wolf Gang, from 1972, both before Wolf's death in 1976 and subsequently.

Biography

Shaw was born in

Stringtown, Mississippi Stringtown is an unincorporated community located in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. Stringtown is approximately south/southeast of Benoit and approximately east of Choctaw. A post office operated under the name Stringtown from 19 ...

. In his

teenage Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with ...

years, Shaw played

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

with local

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

musicians, such as

Little Milton James Milton Campbell Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American blues singer and guitarist, best known for his List of number-one R&B singles of 1965 (U.S.), number-one R&B single "We're Gonna Ma ...

and

Willie Love Willie Love Jr. (November 4, 1906 – August 19, 1953) was an American Delta blues pianist. He is best known for his association with and accompaniment of Sonny Boy Williamson II. Biography Love was born in Duncan, Mississippi. In 1942, he ...

. At the age of 14, he played in a

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ...

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, ninth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, and the largest city by population in the Mississippi Delta region. It is the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, Was ...

, with

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

's band. At a gig in

Itta Bena, Mississippi Itta Bena is a city in Leflore County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,049 at the 2010 census. The town's name is derived from the Choctaw phrase ''iti bina'', meaning "forest camp". Itta Bena is part of the Greenwood, Mississipp ...

, when the then 20-year-old Shaw performed,

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

invited him to join his Chicago-based band. In Waters's band, Shaw divided the tenor saxophone position with A.C. Reed. In 1972 he joined

, 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 band on ''Living Chicago Blues Vol. 1'' and ''Have Blues – Will Travel'' (1980) and recorded albums with different backing for Isabel Records,

Rooster Blues Rooster Blues is an American independent record label founded in 1980. The label is dedicated to blues music from the Mississippi Delta. Rooster Blues was co-founded by Jim O'Neal in Chicago, and initially released 14 albums by South Side blues ...

, and Wolf Records. Shaw's own recording career started in the late 1970s, with an appearance on the

Alligator Records Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the '' Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970. History Iglauer started the label using ...

anthology ''Living Chicago Blues'' (1978) and 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''). Shaw's many contributions to the blues included

arranging In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestratio ...

tracks for ''

The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions ''The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions'' is an album by blues musician Howlin' Wolf released in 1971 on Chess Records, and on Rolling Stones Records in Britain. It was one of the first super session blues albums, setting a blues master among famous ...

'' (which featured

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

Bill Wyman William George Wyman ( né Perks; born 24 October 1936) is an English musician who was the bass guitarist with the rock band the Rolling Stones from 1962 to 1993. Wyman was part of the band's first stable lineup and performed on their first 19 ...

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

and others) and performing with blues notables, including

Hound Dog Taylor Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor (April 12, 1915 – December 17, 1975) was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer. Life and career Taylor was born in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1915, though some sources say 1917. He first played t ...

Freddie King Freddie King (born Fred Christian; September 3, 1934December 28, 1976), also billed as Freddy King, was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King a ...

Otis Rush Otis Rush Jr. (April 29, 1934 – September 29, 2018) was an American blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter who has been long revered as one of the creators of modern Chicago blues; though he was respected and praised, the success he sought e ...

and

Magic Sam Samuel Gene Maghett (February 14, 1937 – December 1, 1969), known as Magic Sam, was an American Chicago blues musician. He was born in Grenada County, Mississippi, and learned to play the blues from listening to records by Muddy Waters and ...

(on his ''

Black Magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...

'' album). One of his sons, Eddie "Vaan" Shaw Jr. (born November 6, 1955), joined the Wolf Gang and played on some of his father's recordings, using a unique three-neck Fender guitar. A disciple of Wolf's protégé

Hubert Sumlin Hubert Charles Sumlin (November 16, 1931 – December 4, 2011) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer, best known for his "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic suspensions" as a member of Howl ...

, he has recorded two albums of his own – ''Morning Rain'' and ''The Trail of Tears''. Another son,

Stan Shaw Stan Shaw (born July 14, 1952) is an American actor. He began his career performing on Broadway musicals ''Hair'' and ''Via Galactica'', before making his feature film debut appearing in ''Truck Turner'' (1974). Shaw later appeared in films such ...

(born 1952), is a character actor based in Hollywood, California. Shaw appeared in the 2007 film ''Honeydripper''. Shaw died in January 2018 in Chicago of natural causes, aged 80.

Accolades

In 2011, Shaw was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in

Benoit, Mississippi Benoit is a town in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 365. History The 1956 movie '' Baby Doll'' was shot on location at the Burrus House in Benoit; many local residents played in minor roles ...

. In 2013 and 2014, Shaw won the

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

in the category Instrumentalist – Horn. May 3 became Eddie Shaw Day in Chicago, by proclamation of Mayor

Rahm Emanuel Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician, advisor, diplomat, and former investment banker who most recently served as List of ambassadors of the United States to Japan, United States ambassador to Japan from 2022 ...

in 2014. In 2014, Shaw was inducted into the

Blues Hall of Fame The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum operated by the Blues Foundation at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to b ...

Discography

*1982: ''Movin' and Groovin' Man'' (Evidence) *1986: ''King of the Road'' (

) *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'', recorded 1996 (Wolf) *2005: ''Give Me Time'' (Wolf) *2012: ''Still Riding High'', as Eddie Shaw and the 757 Allstars (Stringtown) With

*''

The Real Folk Blues ''The Real Folk Blues'' is a series of Blues music, blues albums released between 1965 and 1967 by Chess Records, later reissued MCA Records. Each album in the series highlighted the music of one major Chess artist, including John Lee Hooker, Howli ...

'' (Chess, 1956-64

965 Year 965 ( CMLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers the fortress cities of Tarsus and Mopsuestia. The Muslim resid ...

*''

Live and Cookin' ''Live and Cookin, subtitled ''at Alice's Revisited'', is a live album by blues musician Howlin' Wolf, released by Chess Records in 1972.The Back Door Wolf ''The Back Door Wolf'' is the final studio album by blues musician Howlin' Wolf, released by Chess Records in 1973. Reception In a retrospective AllMusic review, critic Cub Koda wrote: "This, Wolf's last hurrah, is his final studio album. Cut wi ...

'' (Chess, 1973) With

*'' Magic Sam Live'' (Delmark, 1963/64

981 Year 981 ( CMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Emperor Otto II (the Red) leads the imperial court to Rome, making the city his imperial capital, and receiv ...

*'' The Magic Sam Legacy'' (Delmark, 1967/68

989 Year 989 ( CMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Emperor Basil II uses his contingent of 6,000 Varangians to help him defeat Bardas Phokas (the Younger), who suffe ...

*'' Rockin' Wild in Chicago'' (Delmark, 1963/64

002 002, 0O2, O02, OO2, or 002 may refer to: Airports *0O2, Baker Airport *O02, Nervino Airport Astronomy *1996 OO2, the minor planet 7499 L'Aquila *1990 OO2, the asteroid 9175 Graun Fiction *002, fictional British 00 Agent *''002 Operazione Luna'' ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Eddie 1937 births 2018 deaths People from Bolivar County, Mississippi American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists American blues saxophonists Songwriters from Mississippi Blues musicians from Mississippi Chicago blues musicians Songwriters from Illinois Jazz musicians from Illinois Jazz musicians from Mississippi American male jazz musicians Mississippi Blues Trail African-American male songwriters 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American saxophonists

Biography

Accolades

Discography

See also

References