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

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...

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 t ...

, 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 and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

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

Biography

Shaw was born in Stringtown, Mississippi. In his

teenage Adolescence () is a transitional stage of 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 the te ...

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 (while ...

with local blues 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 number-one R&B single " We're Gonna Make It". His other hits include " Baby, I Love ...

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 in

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 34,400 at the 2010 census. It is located in the area of historic cotton plantations and culture known as the Mississippi Delta. H ...

, 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, Mississi ...

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

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago ...

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 m ...

, 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 orchest ...

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 mu ...

'' (which featured Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, Ringo Starr and others) and performing with blues notables, including

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

Freddie King Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Most ...

, Otis Rush and

Magic Sam Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

(on his ''

Black Magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 14 ...

'' 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 Howlin ...

, he has recorded two albums of his own – ''Morning Rain'' and ''The Trail of Tears''. Another son, Stan Shaw (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 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 and diplomat who is the current United States Ambassador to Japan. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago from 2011 ...

in 2014. In 2014, Shaw was inducted into the

Blues Hall of Fame The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum located 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 blues music. Started in 1 ...

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 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, Howlin' Wolf, Mudd ...

'' (Chess, 1956-64 965 *'' Live and Cookin''' (Chess, 1972) *'' The Back Door Wolf'' (Chess, 1973) With

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

981 Year 981 ( CMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events Births * Abu'l-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Maghribi, Arab statesman (d. 1027) * Giovanni Orseolo, Venetian ...

*''

The Magic Sam Legacy ''The Magic Sam Legacy'' is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the American blues musician Magic Sam, recorded in Chicago between 1966 and 1968, that was released by the Delmark label in 1989.

'' (Delmark, 1967/68 989 *''

Rockin' Wild in Chicago ''Rockin' Wild in Chicago'' is a live album by the American blues musician Magic Sam, compiling tracks recorded in Chicago between 1963 and 1968, that was released by the Delmark label in 2021.

'' (Delmark, 1963/64

002 002, 0O2, O02, OO2, or 002 may refer to: Fiction *002, fictional British 00 Agent *''002 Operazione Luna'', *1965 Italian film *Zero Two, a ''Darling in the Franxx'' character Airports *0O2, Baker Airport *O02, Nervino Airport Astronomy *1996 ...

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