Eddie Shaw & The Wolf Gang

Born on 20 March 1937 in Benoit, Mississippi, USA, Shaw spent his early years in the nearby city of Greenville, where he first took up clarinet and trombone before settling on saxophone. Local jump-blues groups, among them an outfit fronted by Ike Turner, provided his initial professional experience, and a 1957 sit-in with Muddy Waters led to an immediate offer of employment and a move to Chicago. There Shaw worked regularly with Howlin’ Wolf and Magic Sam, appearing on recordings by both artists, and simultaneously led his own band as singer and saxophonist. He also managed Chicago’s 1815 Club, wrote and arranged material for other performers, taught himself blues harmonica, and released albums as a leader on Mac Simmons’ label, the Alligator Records Living Chicago Blues project, and the Isabel and Rooster labels. His son Eddie ‘Vaan’ Shaw currently plays in Shaw’s band, the Wolf Gang.