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Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials

In Chicago, a city overflowing with unrivaled blues talent, world-renowned Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials have been standing tall for almost 30 years. The band’s big sound, fueled by Lil’ Ed’s gloriously rollicking slide work and deep blues string bending, along with his rough-edged, soulful vocals, is as real and hard-hitting as Chicago blues gets. The Chicago Sun-Times says, “Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials are the hottest purveyors of bottleneck boogie to come out of Chicago since Hound Dog Taylor.”

Lil’ Ed Williams comes to the blues naturally. His uncle, Chicago slide guitar king and master songwriter J.B. Hutto, taught him how to feel, not just play the blues. Nine albums and thousands of performances later, Lil’ Ed is now universally hailed as a giant of the genre. Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials—bassist (and Ed’s half-brother) James “Pookie” Young, guitarist Mike Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton—have remained together for nearly 30 years (an extraordinary feat for any group), the band fueling Ed’s songs with their rock-solid, road-tested, telepathic musicianship.

The Big Sound Of Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials is the musically electrifying, emotionally intense and downright fun new album from the band Guitar Player calls “a snarling boogie-blues machine...they blow down the walls.” The CD features Lil’ Ed’s incendiary playing and playful, passionate singing, with the ragged-but-right Blues Imperials cooking like mad alongside him. Produced by Williams and Alligator president Bruce Iglauer, it is a tour-de-force of authentic, deeply rooted Chicago blues. Williams wrote or co-wrote all but two of album’s 14 songs, the other gems written by Uncle J.B. The Chicago Reader says the band’s music “is a soundtrack for dancing and celebration infused with a sense of hard-won survival. Williams attacks his lyrics like he attacks his guitar: with bare-bones intensity that makes each word sound like a matter of life or death.”

Born in Chicago on April 8, 1955, in the heart of Chicago’s tough West Side, Ed grew up surrounded by music. He was playing guitar, then drums and bass, by the time he was 12. Ed and Pookie received lessons and support from their famous uncle. “J.B. taught me everything I know,” says Ed. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.” Ed and Pookie spent their teen years making music together, and in 1975 formed the first incarnation of The Blues Imperials. They played their first gig at a West Side club called Big Duke’s Blue Flame, splitting the $6 take four ways. Over the next few years, the group played every club in the neighborhood. Even so, they still needed day jobs to pay the bills. Ed worked ten hours a day as a buffer at the Red Carpet Car Wash. Pookie drove a school bus. Night after night they played their roaring brand of blues in tiny clubs, and eventually the word reached Alligator president Bruce Iglauer.

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Album Review

Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials: The Big Sound of Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials

Read "The Big Sound of Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials" reviewed by Jim Trageser


For more than 25 years, Lil' Ed Williams and his three-piece Blues Imperials have been as rock-steady in their roster makeup as they have musically. Since the late 1980s, singer-guitarist Williams has been backed by Michael Garrett (second guitar), James “Pookie" Young (bass) and Kelly Littleton (drums). That kind of longevity in a band can lead in two directions: heightened understanding and interplay, or stagnation. On their new Alligator release, The Big Sound of Lil' Ed ...

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Performance / Tour

Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials Celebrate New Release in Philadelphia

Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials Celebrate New Release in Philadelphia

Source: Chris M. Slawecki

Alligator recording artists Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials will celebrate the release of their new Alligator CD, Jump Start, with a live performance at The Twisted Tail in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 9, 2012. Mixing smoking slide guitar boogies and raw-boned Chicago shuffles with the deepest slow-burners, Lil' Ed Williams and his rip-roaring Blues Imperials — bassist James “Pookie" Young, guitarist Mike Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton — deliver gloriously riotous, rollicking and intensely emotional blues. Currently celebrating 24 ...

Performance / Tour

Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials Celebrate New Release in Wilmington on August 3

Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials Celebrate New Release in Wilmington on August 3

Source: Chris M. Slawecki

Alligator recording artists Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials will celebrate the release of their new Alligator CD, Jump Start, with a live performance at the Riverfront Blues Festival in Wilmington on Friday, August 3, 2012. Mixing smoking slide guitar boogies and raw-boned Chicago shuffles with the deepest slow-burners, Lil' Ed Williams and his rip-roaring Blues Imperials — bassist James “Pookie" Young, guitarist Mike Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton — deliver gloriously riotous, rollicking and intensely emotional blues. Currently celebrating ...

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Performance / Tour

Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials to Perform in Sellersville

Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials to Perform in Sellersville

Source: Chris M. Slawecki

Alligator recording artists Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials will perform at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville on Thursday, July 14, 2011. They will be playing songs from their most recent CD, Full Tilt. Chicago slide guitar master Lil' Ed Williams and his blistering, road-tested band, The Blues Imperials—guitarist Mike Garrett, bassist James “Pookie" Young and drummer Kelly Littleton—are celebrating an amazing 20 years together. Full Tilt is simply the rawest, truest, most electrifying blues being made today. Amazon selected ...

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Performance / Tour

Alligator Artists Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials and Shemekia Copeland to Perform in Wyomissing

Alligator Artists Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials and Shemekia Copeland to Perform in Wyomissing

Source: All About Jazz

ALLIGATOR RECORDING ARTISTS LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS AND SHEMEKIA COPELAND TO PERFORM IN WYOMISSING!

Performance information is as follows: ADDITIONAL INFO!!

Berks Jazz Festival: Inn @ Reading Ballroom 1040 N. Park Rd. Wyomissing, PA www.berksjazzfest.com $30 General Admin

Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials Friday, March 18th, 8:00 p.m.

Shemekia Copeland Saturday, March 19th, 8:00 p.m.

LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS

“High energy electric blues power. Lil' ...

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Performance / Tour

Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials to Perform Live in Fairless Hills

Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials to Perform Live in Fairless Hills

Source: All About Jazz


Electrifying, raucous, pure Chicago blues...Lil’ Ed is a guitarist extraordinaire...slashing slide and flamboyant stage persona." –Chicago Tribune

"Rough and ready blues played with unmitigated intensity...Swirling, snarling, riveting slide...The Blues Imperials pound out riffs and rhythms like they’re overdosing on boogie juice. Scorching and soulful, joyous and stomping." –Living Blues

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