BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " AaRON CORTHEN BETTER KNOWN AS A.C. REED " IS A BLUES SAXOPHONIST CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHICAGO BLUES SCENE FROM THE 1940'S INTO THE 2000'S : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                            Aaron Corthen, better known as A.C. Reed  May 9, 1926 – February 24, 2004 was an American blues saxophonist, closely associated with the Chicago blues scene from the 1940s into the 2000s.

Biography

Reed was born in Wardell, Missouri, United States, but grew up in southern Illinois. He took his stage name from his friend, Jimmy Reed. He moved to Chicago during World War II, playing with Earl Hooker and Willie Mabon in the 1940s. He toured with Dennis "Long Man" Binder in 1956, and did extensive work as a sideman for Mel London's blues record labels Chief/Profile/Age in the 1960's, with Lillian Offitt and Ricky Allen, amongst others. He had a regionally popular single in 1961 with "This Little Voice" (Age 29101), and cut several more singles over the course of the decade.

He became a member of Buddy Guy's band in 1967, playing with him on his tour of Africa in 1969 and, with Junior Wells, opening for The Rolling Stones in 1970. He remained with Guy until 1977, then played with Son Seals and Albert Collins in the late 1970's and 1980's. He began recording solo material for Alligator Records in the 1980's. On his 1987 offering, I'm in the Wrong Business, came cameo appearances by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt.

He played in Chicago with his band, The Spark Plugs, until he died of cancer in Chicago in 2004.