Born on a Stringtown plantation on March 20, 1937, Eddie Shaw learned music in Greenville, played with local bands and leading bluesmen, sat in with Muddy Waters while attending Mississippi Vocational College in 1957, and then moved to Chicago at Muddy’s invitation. There he worked with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Magic Sam, Otis Rush, Freddie King, and others, served for several years as Howlin’ Wolf’s bandleader, formed the Wolf Gang in the early 1970s, and continued leading his own groups after Wolf’s death in 1976. A prolific songwriter and recording artist whose first single appeared in 1966, Shaw also operated businesses on Chicago’s West Side and built an enduring international career as one of the few saxophonists to lead a blues band, touring in all fifty states and several foreign countries. His hard-hitting style brought him Instrumentalist of the Year honors in the 2006 and 2007 Blues Music Awards, and he made his film debut in Honeydripper in 2007.