Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials in Chicago

Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials are an American blues band formed in 1975 and led by singer and slide guitarist Lil Ed Williams. They play electric blues and boogie, and are known for Williams’s forceful slide-guitar style and albums including Roughhousin’, Get Wild! and The Big Sound of Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials. After Alligator Records released Roughhousin’ in 1986, Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials began touring full time, playing blues clubs and festivals in the United States and abroad. Lil Ed Williams leads the group’s electric sets on vocals and slide guitar, and his fez is a longstanding stage trademark. The band has performed at the Chicago Blues Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.