Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials were among the premiere party bands to come out of Chicago during the ’70s and ’80s. Often compared to Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor, fiery, flamboyant slide guitarist Lil’ Ed Williams and his group have continued to play dedicated, rough-edged, and hard-rocking dance music, establishing an international reputation that has lasted into the new millennium. A native of Chicago, Williams was first inspired by his uncle, renowned slide guitarist J.B. Hutto, with whom he studied as a young teen. Hutto not only taught him slide, but also introduced Williams to bass and drums. Williams’ half-brother, James “Pookie” Young, was also a student of Hutto, and later became the bassist for the Blues Imperials. The brothers co-founded their group in the early ’70s and went professional in 1975, playing at Big Duke’s Blue Flame on the West Side. The gig earned them a whopping six bucks, which the group members split evenly. In those early years, Williams worked days at a car wash while Young drove a school bus.

Despite their humble start, Williams and the Blues Imperials kept performing at night and by the early ’80s had developed a substantial regional following. Signing to Alligator in the mid-’80s, they released their debut album, Roughhousin’, in 1986 and found themselves receiving national attention. They began playing urban clubs and festivals all over the country and eventually toured Canada, Europe, and Japan. They released their second album, Chicken, Gravy & Biscuits, in 1989, and the success continued as the Blues Imperials began appearing with such artists as Koko Taylor and Elvin Bishop during the Alligator Records 20th anniversary tour. They released their third album, What You See Is What You Get, in 1992.

If Ed, Pookie, and the latest members of the revamped Blues Imperials never did much to modernize their blues or develop a new sound, that was just fine with the band’s followers (“Edheads,” no less), to whom the raucous, rocking slide guitar heritage of Hutto, Hound Dog Taylor, and Elmore James is blues nirvana. Following its third album, the group went on hiatus for a few years, during which Lil’ Ed Williams released two albums on Earwig, 1996’s Keep on Walkin’ with Dave Weld and 1998’s Who’s Been Talking with Willie Kent. In 1999 the band reconvened and released Get Wild. They followed it up with Heads Up, their fifth Alligator record, in 2002. Their sixth, Rattleshake, appeared in 2006, followed by their seventh, Full Tilt, two years later. ~ Jim O’Neal & Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Every roots music fan loves being melted by the vibe and energy of a smokin’ hot band. When the heat of the music matches that mood, magic is made.

The members of MojoDaddy are all top-shelf musicians who have achieved considerable success with their respective groups. Throughout their careers, these guys have taken the message of Chicago blues and traveled the world to spread it with artists such as Buddy Guy, Carl Weathersby, the Kinsey Report and the Steepwater Band. The group consists of Kenny Kinsey (bass/vocals), Nick Byrd (guitar/vocals), Jerry Porter (drums/vocals), Jeff Massey (Slide guitar/vocals) and Corey Dennison (guitar/vocals).

Joining forces for this project to take that message further, they’ve built a high-energy blues, funk/soul, roots-rock supergroup who thread the spirit of the past into this ten-song disc with creative, passionate playing. Employing a trio of accomplished, fire-breathing guitarists (Nick Byrd, Corey Dennison, Jeff Massey), a rock-solid rhythm section (Kenny Kinsey, Jerry Porter), and four distinct-yet-complementary vocalists (Byrd, Dennison, Massey, Kinsey), the band fuses their musical tastes into a must-have disc for any hardcore blues-rocker who has an occasional sensitive moment.

Together, they have quickly gained a reputation for being one of Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland area’s top blues bands and rhythm sections. All of this has led to them appearing on a regular rotation at some of the areas hottest live music venues and annual summer festivals.

These musician’s pride themselves on playing with heart and soul, creating an unstoppable energy. Their intense delivery of the music will have you up and dancing, while never letting you forget where our musical debt is owed.