Chicago’s triple neck guitar threat Eddie “Vaan” Shaw will be teamed up with Detroit’s Harmonica Shah for
the first time on Friday in Bowling Green.
“Today, blues shows are getting to be extended jam sessions. This ain’t going to be a jam session, this
will be a real show. It’ll be real songs,” Shaw said.
Shaw is known for playing his triple neck guitar, which is a 12-string, 8-string and standard 6-string
electric guitar. His style of playing is an easy blues flow that can be heartfelt and slow with bursts
of searing speed.
Both Shaw and Shah have multiple solo albums under their belts, in both the live and studio styles.
Shaw’s father, Eddie Shaw Sr., was a songwriter, producer and saxophone player for blues legend Howlin’
Wolf. When Wolf died, Shaw Sr. continued to lead the back-up band, the Wolf Gang. He and Vaan Shaw
recorded more than 20 albums together with the Wolf Gang. Eddie Shaw died in April.
Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang have played Bowling Green many times over the years. Vaan Shaw believes it
has been at least five years since they had been through town and maybe as long as 20 years since
playing at Howard’s Club H, where they will play Friday.
Vaan Shaw grew up in the blues world, where he started playing in his father’s club as a 10-year-old
guitar phenom, backing up all the blues greats that played in Chicago from the 1960s through the 80s.

“It was weird and cool at the same time. There was no happy medium. It was extreme,” Shaw said. “I
absorbed the music through osmosis, in the clubs and on the road.”
He did take guitar lessons from Delmark recording artist Magic Sam. He quickly became popular and
featured in Downbeat magazine as a teen.
There was also Howlin’ Wolf, who was a huge influence on Vaan. Born Chester Arthur, Wolf played guitar,
but it was life lessons that Vaan learned from the man.
“I think that’s one thing I got from him. He knew his self worth,” Vaan said.
There were also many years on the road, sometimes with more than 300 gigs a year.
“At 12 years old, something in the back of my mind told me that these guys had the pulse on it,” Vaan
said.
He has played and worked with blues greats Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins and Junior Wells. In the rock
world he has played with the Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman, David Bowie and ZZ Top.
“Morning Rain” is a solo piece that Shaw plays regularly and can be found on the internet.
Harmonica Shah played the Saturday main stage at this summer’s Black Swamp Arts Festival. Shah is know
for singing his “old style dirty blues.”
The backing band will be the Howlin’ Wolfs, made up of blues veterans who were selected by the family of
blues legend Howlin’ Wolf. “Cadillac” Dan Magers will be on keyboards. Johnny “HiFi” Newmark will be
playing bass guitar. Toledo’s Curtis Grant, Jr. will be playing drums.
Shah and Shaw with the Howlin’ Wolfs will play at Howard’s Club H Friday at 8:30 p.m.