Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials

If the blues is supposed to be downtrodden music that causes people to shed tears in their beers, someone forgot to send the memo to Lil’ Ed Williams. Backed by the Blues Imperials, a raucous, party-style band with a flair for funk, the Chicago slide-guitar master is more likely to make you dance than dissolve in a puddle of sob. Though Lil’ Ed’s classic album remains his masterful 1989 sophomore effort, Chicken, Gravy and Biscuits, the pint-sized six-string king continues to tour and release albums with the regularity of a Swiss timepiece. Although the former car-wash laborer is best known for his ax-slinging prowess and gymnastic stage maneuvers, it’s Lil’ Ed’s gritty, steeped-in-soul vocals that make him an authentic purveyor of Windy City blues.