Spend Father's Day with Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials (VCBS Event)

Little Ed & The Blues Imperials - "a bazooka assault of foot-stompin' blues and slow-burnin' knee-bucklers" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES) - appears in concert on Father's Day (Sunday, June 21) at Studio Channels Island Arts Center in Camarillo, in a concert presented by the Ventura County Blues Society. Buy advance tickets here.

"Chicago Blues Royalty!" LIL ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS IN A SPECIAL FATHER'S DAY CONCERT PRESENTED BY VENTURA COUNTY BLUES SOCIETY Sunday, June 21, 2015 - 2:00 P.M. @ Studio Channel Islands Art Center, Camarillo Also Win Tickets To Attend The Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas! Only $10. To Enter (Good for 2 Entries) - Click Here         (CAMARILLO, CA) - The Ventura County Blues Society is proud to present a very special concert with "Chicago Blues Royalty," Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials, Sunday, June 21 (Father's Day) at Studio Channel Islands Art Center, 2222 Ventura Blvd. in Camarillo. Showtime is 2 p.m. (doors open 1 p.m.). Tickets $30. (General Admission), $50. VIP (includes early 12:30 p.m. entry, two drink tickets, and seating in the first five rows). Info: (805) 501-7122 or www.venturacountybluessociety.org. Opening the show is VCBS Band Challenge winner and IBC semi-finalist, the always-enjoyable, Lightnin' Willie.   Also win two tickets to attend the four-day The Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas, the "largest gathering of national blues acts in the world," in our special drawing. Only $10. to enter (good for 2 entries), and you need not be present to win! Click here to enter. Proceeds benefit the Ventura County Blues Society. "A bazooka assault of foot-stompin' blues and slow-burnin' knee-bucklers."                                      - Chicago Sun-Times "Full of fire, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials hit the floor running and accelerate from there. High-octane, expressive, fiercely articulated, harrowing intensity, raucous slide."          - Living Blues "The world's #1 houserocking blues band." - Boston Globe  "With a jumping band pumping behind him, Lil' Ed blasts wild, passionate, blazing-hot slide...powerful, raucous boogie blues that's utterly devoid of rock, jazz or fusion influences ."    - Guitar Player "Raw-boned, old-fashioned Chicago blues has a new young master--Lil' Ed Williams."                     - New York Times "Ed plays slide guitar like a back-alley shiv...high-decibal, gutbucket blues at its most brutally honest."          -Chicago Sun-Times "The liveliest blues showman alive, with an explosive, good-rocking guitar sound and the stage moves to match. Raw, gutbucket blues sure to get you up and dancing."       - Philadelphia Daily News "A party band in the best sense of the word...the hottest purveyors of bottleneck boogie to come out of Chicago since Hound Dog Taylor ."                                                                 - Boston Globe "The meanest bottle neck boogie blues around. This roughhousin' stage spitfire will ignite any crowd... rollicking good fun and raw intensity."                                                    - Austin Chronicle                                            ABOUT LIL ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS    Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials released six Alligator albums between 1989 and 2008. With each one, the band's stature grew as their fan base continued to expand. With 2006's Rattleshake, Ed and company reached a whole new audience. Die-hard "Ed Head" Conan O'Brien brought the band before millions of television viewers on two separate occasions. Then, in June 2008, celebrating the release of Full Tilt, Ed hit the main stage at The Chicago Blues Festival, performing in front of 100,000 screaming fans, as he whipped the overflowing crowd into a blues-induced frenzy. The band won the prestigious Blues Music Award for Band Of The Year in both 2007 and 2009 and also took home the Best Live Band Award in the 2011 Living Blues Critics' Poll. Blues Revue said, "Listen and hear how a great blues player can make a guitar weep...Lil' Ed is a blues master at the top of his game.    Now, with Jump Start, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials will continue bringing their seriously inspired and wildly fun Chicago blues to "Ed Heads" new and old, wherever they may be. After almost a quarter century together, Lil' Ed, Pookie, Mike and Kelly have played thousands of gigs, logged tens of thousands of miles and have no plans to slow down anytime soon. According to Littleton, "The journey has been amazing. We melded right away and have kept growing." Garrett agrees, saying, "It's a perfect fit. And we keep getting better." Young adds, "We are way stronger now, and we're still having fun. My dreams have all come true.                              ABOUT THE VENTURA COUNTY BLUES SOCIETY   The Ventura County Blues Society was founded June of 2011.  The Society  is dedicated to supporting America’s music in addition to supporting others in need by providing funds generated from the society’s events which will be scheduled throughout the year.   The society will strengthen and bring value to the Southern California Blues scene by working with other organizations. This will be accomplished through scheduled events based here in Southern California.  This is the heartbeat of what VCBS is about with the core of helping others.    We encourage everyone to get involved; even if you don’t have the time to volunteer, or you are hundreds of miles away, you can still be a part of this unique organization.  Becoming a member of the Ventura County Blues Society is a big way of showing your support.   The Ventura County Blues Society (VCBS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that depends on memberships, contributions, event sponsorships and volunteers to operate. The Ventura County Blues Society is an all-volunteer organization. We need your help to grow and maintain the Blues scene.  You can help make a difference by becoming a member. Please go to our membership page and be a part.

Five Alligator Artists Receive Nine 2013 Blues Blast Award Nominations

FIVE ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE NINE 2013 BLUES BLAST AWARD NOMINATIONS Alligator Records artists Curtis Salgado, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials, Janiva Magness and the late Michael "Iron Man" Burks received a total of nine 2013 Blues Blast Award nominations. Salgado and Estrin each received three, while Burks, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials and Magness each received one. The Blues Blast Awards are presented by Blues Blast magazine, a free weekly internet blues magazine. Winners are chosen by fan voting, which will begin at the Blues Blast website starting July 15. All Blues Blast subscribers are eligible to vote. Winners will be announced at the Blues Blast Awards ceremony at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago on Thursday, October 31. Artists and nominations are below: Curtis Salgado: Male Blues Artist Of The Year Soul Blues Album Of The Year - Soul Shot Song Of The Year - A Woman Or The Blues (by Curtis Salgado and Dave Duncan) Rick Estrin & The Nightcats: Band Of The Year Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year - One Wrong Turn Rick Estrin: Male Blues Artist Of The Year Michael "Iron Man" Burks: Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year - Show Of Strength Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials: Band Of The Year Janiva Magness: Female Blues Artist Of The Year www.ALLIGATOR.com

Seven Alligator Artists Receive 11 Living Blues Award Nominations

SEVEN ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE 11 LIVING BLUES AWARD NOMINATIONS Living Blues magazine announced the nominees for the 2013 Living Blues Awards in their June 2013 issue. Seven Alligator Records artists received a total of 11 nominations. Joe Louis Walker, Curtis Salgado, Marcia Ball and Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials each received two nods. James Cotton, Janiva Magness and the late Michael "Iron Man" Burks each received one nomination. People may vote online at www.livingblues.com until July 15, 2013. Alligator artists and nominations are as follows: JOE LOUIS WALKER: Blues Artist Of The Year - Male Best Blues Album Of 2012 (New Recordings): Hellfire LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS: Best Live Performer Best Blues Album Of 2012 (New Recordings): Jump Start CURTIS SALGADO:     Blues Artist Of The Year - Male Most Outstanding Blues Singer JANIVA MAGNESS: Blues Artist Of The Year - Female MICHAEL "IRON MAN" BURKS: Best Blues Album Of 2012 (New Recordings): Show Of Strength MARCIA BALL: Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboard) ### www.ALLIGATOR.com

Alligator Records News Briefs, April 16, 2013

 

MAJOR JAMES COTTON FEATURE IN LIVING BLUES MAGAZINE NEW CD COTTON MOUTH MAN OUT ON MAY 7 Blues harmonica legend James Cotton, whose new CD Cotton Mouth Man will be in stores on May 7, 2013, is featured on the cover of the current issue of Living Blues magazine. The 10-page cover story, written by blues scholar David Whiteis, takes an in-depth look at Cotton's entire career, including the new CD. Cotton Mouth Man is a joyous celebration of Cotton's 69 years as a professional musician (beginning at age nine). Recorded in Nashville and produced by Grammy-winning producer/ songwriter/ drummer Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Joe Louis Walker, Susan Tedeschi), the album is a trip through sounds and scenes from Cotton's long and storied career. Cotton co-wrote seven of the tracks with Hambridge (who co-wrote five additional tracks). The songs were inspired by Cotton's colorful and sometimes perilous life and his memories of the Mississippi Delta, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Memphis, Sun Records, Chicago, and Muddy Waters. Throughout the CD, Cotton's blast-furnace harmonica sound and larger-than-life personality are front and center. Helping Cotton tell his stories and showcase his music are guests Gregg Allman, Joe Bonamassa, Ruthie Foster, Warren Haynes, Delbert McClinton, and Keb Mo. Other vocals are handled by Darrell Nulisch, who has been singing in Cotton's road band for many years. The other members of Cotton's road band -- Jerry Porter, Noel Neal, and Tom Holland -- are also on board for some songs. Forming the core of the backing band on the CD are Hambridge (drums), Rob McNelley (guitar), Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Glenn Worf (bass). Tommy MacDonald and Colin Linden each add guitar to one track. Cotton, who after a bout with throat cancer turned the vocal duties over to others, was inspired by the sessions to return to the microphone, singing his own Bonnie Blue (the name of the plantation where he was born), and making Cotton Mouth Man the most personal, celebratory and just plain fun recording of his seven-decade career. ALLIGATOR ARTISTS APPEAR ON NATIONAL RADIO PROGRAMS Alligator Records recording artists Marcia Ball, Jesse Dee and Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials have all appeared or will appear on syndicated national radio broadcasts. Ball brought her raucous boogie-woogie blues to E-Town earlier this month (the segment can be heard in full by clicking on the link). Jesse Dee brings his original sweet soul music to World Cafe on April 17. And Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials return to Elwood's BluesMobile in a program featuring their roof raising slide guitar blues airing on June 9 and 10. ANDERS OSBORNE RECEIVES BIG EASY AWARD FOR ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR New Orleans' Gambit Weekly will honor guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Anders Osborne as the Entertainer Of The Year during its annual Big Easy Awards ceremony to be held on April 22 at Harrah's New Orleans. He is also nominated for two Big Easy Awards: Best Male Performer and Best Rock Band. Osborne is currently in the studio working on a follow up to his massively successful 2012 Black Eye Galaxy CD. His most recent release is Three Free Amigos, a six-song EP recorded during a series of laid back, living room-like sessions. EDDY "THE CHIEF" CLEARWATER FEATURED IN ILLINOIS TOURISM CAMPAIGN Blues master Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater is currently featured in a television commercial touting Illinois tourism. The video highlights Chicago's rich blues heritage and features Clearwater's inviting, trademark smile. On Sunday, June 9, Clearwater will perform on The Chicago Blues Festival's main stage, joining James Cotton, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials, John Primer, Billy Branch and others in an all-star revue -- billed as Chicago Blues: Old School, New Millennium -- that promises to be a highlight of this year's event. ALLIGATOR RECORDS, EDDY "THE CHIEF" CLEARWATER AND CORKY SIEGEL INDUCTED INTO CHICAGO BLUES HALL OF FAME On Sunday, April 28, Alligator Records will be inducted into The Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame as a Legendary Blues Label. The ceremony will be held in Chicago at Buddy Guy's Legends and hosted by The Michael Packer Blues Band. The event will be filmed and televised by JBTV/NBC NONSTOP and broadcast on cable and satellite television nationwide. Alligator artists Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater and Corky Siegel will be inducted as Master Blues Artists. ### www.ALLIGATOR.com

Lil Ed Williams and the Blues Imperials with special guest Joe Louis Walker

Lil' Ed Williams (born April 18, 1955, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. With his backing band, the Blues Imperials, slide guitarist Williams has built up a loyal following
Williams and his half-brother James "Pookie" Young, received childhood encouragement and tutelage from their uncle, J. B. Hutto, and by 1975 the half-siblings had formed the first version of the Blues Imperials.

A decade later and Alligator Records offered them the chance to record for a forthcoming compilation album. In the event they cut a full album's worth of material that was released as Roughhousin' (1986). They then appeared at music festivals and toured widely. Their second album release was entitled, Chicken, Gravy & Biscuits (1989), and their third LP, What You See is What You Get was issued in 1992. At this point the group disbanded, while Williams issued two solo albums; Keep On Walking, followed by Who's Been Talking (1998), the latter with Willie Kent.

In 1999 the release of Get Wild marked the group's reunion, and has been followed in subsequent years with Heads Up (2002), Rattleshake (2006), and Full Tilt (2008) .

In June 2008, Williams and the Blues Imperials appeared at the Chicago Blues Festival. The same year Williams guested on Magic Slim's album, Midnight Blues. In June 2009, Williams appeared as a guest on the radio quiz game show, produced by Chicago Public Radio and National Public Radio, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
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