Eddie Shaw & The Wolf Gang

When it comes to blues, Chicago's strictly a guitar and harmonica town. Saxophonists who make a living leading a blues band in the Windy City are scarce as hen's teeth. But Eddie Shaw did precisely that after his longtime boss, Howlin' Wolf, died in 1976. The powerfully constructed tenor saxist rubbed elbows with an amazing array of luminaries over his 60-plus years in the business. By the time he was 14, Shaw was jamming with Ike Turner's combo around Greenville, Mississippi. At a gig in Itta Bena where Shaw sat in, Muddy Waters extended the young saxman an invitation he coul...