A.C. Reed

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A.C. Reed was the blues world's ultimate triple-threat. His soulfully elegant tenor sax playing supported artists like Albert Collins, the Rolling Stones, Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton. As a singer, A.C.'s gritty, straight-from-the-heart vocals were showcased on a variety of small label singles, as well as on his acclaimed four albums. As a gifted songwriter with a penchant for wryly humorous lyrics, his tunes were recorded by such artists as Magic Slim, Charlie Musselwhite and Eddie Shaw. Born Aaron Corthen in Wardell, Missouri in 1926, A.C. was immediately attracted to music. "I've been around music all my life," he said. "I had one brother who made himself a bass out of a wash tub, and another brother who played the piano." For A.C., though, neither bass nor piano would do. He had his heart set on playing the saxophone. Realizing that rural southeast Missouri offered limited opportunities, A.C. arrived in Chicago in 1942 at age 16. He quickly found work at a steel mill, and bought a saxophone at a pawnshop with his first paycheck. A.C.'s first interest was in big band jazz. He studied at the Chicago Conservatory of Music for a couple of years, where he emulated his musical hero, tenorman Gene Ammons. While continuing to work at the mill during the daytime, A.C. began gigging on weekends with blues groups. At the same time he found a musical mentor in J.T. Brown, Elmore James' tenor saxophonist. It was Brown who personally showed him the differences between playing jazz and the blues. After the end of World War II, A.C. found a steady gig with Willie Mabon, who snatched up the young tenorman as soon as he was old enough to work in Chicago's South Side nightclubs. Next was a stint with legendary guitarist Earl Hooker, followed by four years of touring the Southwest with bandleader Dennis Binder's Rhythm & Blues All Stars, playing exclusively for white audiences. By the early '60s, A.C. was back in Chicago, where he cut several singles as a leader for Age Records, backed by his old pal Hooker. He went on to cut singles for labels like Nike, USA and Cool throughout the '60s, while doing session work with Hooker, Muddy Waters, Ricky Allen and Lillian Offitt. In 1967, at the start of the late '60s blues explosion, A.C. hooked up with guitar great Buddy Guy and blues harp giant Junior Wells.

For ten years he backed Buddy and Junior, playing to a new audience of young, white blues fans all over the U.S. While working with Guy and Wells, A.C. also toured with the Rolling Stones and performed in Africa and Japan. He also appeared on a number of Guy and Wells' albums on the Vanguard, Delmark and Atco labels. Following his long association with Buddy and Junior, A.C. took some time off from the road to play local dates in Chicago. His retirement from the road was short-lived, however, as he joined Son Seals for a European tour in 1978. Next came a five-year gig with Albert Collins, appearing on five of the late Master of the Telecaster's Alligator albums. While playing with Collins' bands, the Icebreakers, A.C.'s gruff vocals were showcased on several tunes each night. His own “Jealous Man” was one of the highlights of Collins' Grammy-nominated Alligator album, “Live In Japan.” In 1980, A.C. contributed four songs to another Grammy-nominated Alligator album, “Living Chicago Blues, Vol. 3.” “Take These Blues And Shove 'Em,” his long-awaited debut album, was finally released in 1982 on the Ice Cube label. With A.C.'s 1987 Alligator release, “I'm In The Wrong Business!,” he put it all together, resulting in a winning combination of top-notch material and inspired playing and singing that put him firmly in the musical spotlight. The album featured guest appearances by long-time A.C. Reed fans such as the late Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt, as well as by members of his Chicago-based touring band, the Spark Plugs. A.C. and the Spark Plugs hit the road and became a fixture on the national blues club and festival scene, establishing him as one of the premier “old school” artists of Chicago blues and a flamboyant entertainer. His album for Delmark in 1999 “Junk Food” features some of Chicago's top blues musicians including Albert Collins, Maurice John Vaughn, Johnny B. Gayden and Casey Jones. A.C. Reed and the Spark Plugs continued to perform and tour through 2003. He died of cancer on February 24, 2004.

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Latest Album By Master Pianist Eric Scott Reed 'Out Late' Now Available Via Smoke Sessions Records

Source: AMT Public Relations
May 18, 2025

Master pianist Eric Scott Reed leads an invigorating top-shelf session, capturing the late-night vibrations of New York City Released May 16 via Smoke Sessions Records, Out Late features trumpeter Nicholas Payton, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Joe Farnsworth Out Late Album Release Shows May 16 at Los Angeles County Museum Of Art in Los Angeles & June 25-29, 2025 at Smoke Jazz Club in NYC. Jazz musicians are nocturnal by nature. Almost as essential as time ...
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Performance / Tour

Smoke Jazz Club Announces June Line-up Of Top Pianists Emmet Cohen, Danilo Perez, And Eric Scott Reed, And More

Source: AMT Public Relations
May 10, 2025

Hailed as the “#1 Jazz Club in New York City (SecretNYC),” SMOKE Jazz Club today announced its concert schedule for June 2025. SMOKE is thrilled to welcome back pianist Emmet Cohen leading his fan-favorite trio as well as pianist Eric Scott Reed celebrating his latest album Out Late released on the club’s namesake label. Marking his SMOKE Jazz Club debut is one of the most creative forces in music today — Panama native pianist Danilo Perez bringing his sensational trio ...
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Performance / Tour

World-renowned Smoke Presents Leading Pianists Vijay Iyer And Eric Reed, Album Release Concert By Trombonist Steve Turre, And More During The Month Of June

Source: AMT Public Relations
May 3, 2024

Entering its second quarter century as committed as ever to pure jazz (All About Jazz),” SMOKE Jazz Club continues its 25th anniversary season with another month of today’s leading artists in jazz. June begins with a fan favorite and longtime friend of the club’s: trumpeter Nicholas Payton (May 29-June 2). Returning to SMOKE is MacArthur Genius Vijay Iyer leading his Trio for five nights (June 5-9). Master trombonist Steve Turre celebrates the SMOKE Sessions release of his exciting new album, ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Eric Reed

Source: Michael Ricci
June 21, 2023

All About Jazz is celebrating Eric Reed's birthday today!

When you think of hard-driving swing, daring expression, sophistication and elegance in artistry, formidable technique and a thunderous sound, there are only a very small handful of contemporary pianists you think of and one of them is most assuredly ERIC REED. But don’t think of him as a just a pianist; Eric is one of his generation’s most advanced thinkers in music. Born in the musically rich city of Philadelphia, PA. ...
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Performance / Tour

World-Renowned Smoke Jazz Club Begins Spring With Four Of Today’s Leading Pianists, Album Releases By Bobby Watson And Eric Reed, And More Throughout March

Source: AMT Public Relations
February 7, 2023

Described as “the most genuine, congenial and best-run jazz club in the city (Huffington Post),” New York’s Smoke Jazz Club presents a stellar line-up of some of jazz’s greatest artists during March. Four leading pianists return to the SMOKE stage: Renee Rosnes (Mar 2-5),Eric Reed celebrating his SMOKE Sessions album release (Mar 9-12), Jacky Terrasson (Mar 16-19), and George Cables (Mar 30-Apr 2). The legendary tenor George Coleman celebrates his 88th birthday with a special one-night-only concert featuring special guest ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Eric Reed

Source: Michael Ricci
June 21, 2022

All About Jazz is celebrating Eric Reed's birthday today!

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Eric Reed

Source: Michael Ricci
June 21, 2021

All About Jazz is celebrating Eric Reed's birthday today!

Recording

Guitarist Mike Scott Releases 'Collecting Things,' Featuring Joe Bagg, Darek Oles And Jake Reed

Source: Mouthpiece Music
January 12, 2021

Collecting Things, the newest recording by guitarist and composer Mike Scott, is a pastiche of music styles mostly penned by Scott and performed by some of the top jazz musicians in Southern California. This is the third album by Scott as a leader and follows Fallen Peach (2011) and Good Place To Be (2000). The L.A. Weekly says, “Like the author of this subtle record, the music won't hit you over the head with precocious braggadocio or mind-numbing complexity. The ...
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Birthday