In Chicago, a city overflowing with unrivaled blues talent, world-renowned Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials have been standing tall for over 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 “Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials are the hottest purveyors of bottleneck boogie to come out
of Chicago since
Hound Dog Taylor.”
– The Chicago Sun-Times 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 over 30 years —an extraordinary feat for any group—, the band fueling Ed’s songs with their rock-solid, road-tested, telepathic musicianship.
Multiple winners of Blues Foundation blues awards including Band of the year and inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Lil Ed will be celebrating the release of their latest album Slideways on Alligator Records.
With Special Guest Shaun Booker
Shaun Booker is an international recording artist, based in Columbus, Ohio. She was inducted into the Columbus Blues Hall of Fame and along with her “Dammit Band” was a finalist in the International Blues Challenge. Her riveting performance will surely have you on the edge of your seat. She proclaims ” I am the Blues”
Food & Bar: Our full food and drink menu will be available before and during the show.
Thu, Mar 12 • 8:00 pm
Cafe-Coffee
Deli-Sandwiches
Pizza
Burgers
Italian
Chinese
Mexican