Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials - Slideways
- 15 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Release date: February 27 , 2026
Alligator Records
By Mark Baier
Lil’ Ed is throwing a party and everyone’s invited! The celebration has been brewing for 40 years and Alligator Records has the ticket, a raucous carnival of pure Chicago blues known as Slideways, Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials’ 10th release on the venerable label.
Slideways is a rollicking carousel ride of joyous and raw West Side blues, delivered with an intensity and piping hot rhythm that has no equal. Lil’ Ed and his tour d’ force backing band tear through 13 hair-raising selections that threaten to burn the whole room down with their scalding intensity and blistering energy. Ed’s slide guitar is a master class; an exuberant explosion of passionate emotion, both thrilling and unpredictable. With a direct lineage from his uncle JB Hutto, Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor, Lil’ Ed pulls no punches; his guitar playing is playful yet riotous, uninhibited and fresh. It’s a rave up that will leave you drained and begging for more.
Lil’ Ed Williams was born in the heart of Chicago’s tough West Side, surrounded by music. Mentored by his uncle, legendary Maxwell Street slide guitarist JB Hutto, young Ed was playing guitar, bass and drums by age 12. He teamed up with his half-brother Pookie; their teen years were spent receiving lessons and support from their famous uncle JB Hutto. “JB taught me everything I know,’ says Ed. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”
In 1975 Ed and Pookie 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 proceeds four ways. With encouragement like that, they played at virtually every club in the neighborhood. Still, they needed day jobs to pay the bills. Ed worked full time as a buffer at the Red Carpet Car Wash while Pookie drove a school bus. They pounded the clubs night after night with their electrifying style of blues and eventually Alligator Records’ Bruce Iglauer took notice.
The raw energy and slide guitar abandon that attracted Bruce to the band 40 years ago are on full display on Slideways. From the moment that Lil’ Ed’s distinctive slide sound takes control on “Bad All By Myself” to the gripping “You Can’t Strike Gold From a Silver Mine”, Ed and the band mix hard edged shuffles and greasy guitar boogies with West Side soul and love-starved slow blues. Each track is a showcase of Ed and the Imperials individual style, never polished and urbane, always authentic and unvarnished. Songwriting has consistently separated Lil’ Ed from other blues contemporaries, and Slideways is filled with clever alliteration and original notions. Songs like “One Foot On The Brake, One On The Gas” and “The Flirt In The Car Wash Skirt” showcase Ed’s singular talent for crafting novel and unique tunes all while maintaining the old school West Side style that’s so compelling.
Though Ed is the master of ceremonies, the party wouldn’t be a success without the steady Hall of Fame backing band that’s been by his side for 40 years. Bassist (and Ed’s half- brother) James “Pookie” Young, guitarist Mike Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton are rock solid and road tested, weaving clairvoyant musical communication into this unforgettable package. Eight of the 13 cuts feature the piano and organ playing of Ben Levin, a young keyboard wizard whose old time style adds deep Hammond B-3 and rollicking piano accents to the material.
As with any Alligator release, the sound quality and recording production is first class and clean with guitar tones that are natural and unaffected and vocals that are resonant and truthful. Credit goes to both Ed and Bruce Iglauer for their stewardship of the recording process.
Slideways is intense, yet easy to listen to, with an energy and joyous sound that cuts like a razor’s edge. Put some extra quarters in the parking meter and come on in to join the festivities; Slideways is a party you won’t want to miss!
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To stream or purchase the album: https://www.alligator.com/
Artist website: https://www.liledblues.com/
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